The Ultimate Edge
by Godfather
Summary: The JL must find a way to defeat a criminal genius who has gained complete control over the very elements of the earth itself. Meanwhile, diana discovers something about Bruce that could change their relationship forever. BWW, GLHG.
1. Default Chapter

"Are you sure dis is gon' work?" asked the woman in her strange, unrecognizable accent. She had long, dark hair and deep brown eyes complimenting her rich, dark skin. She wore jeans, a white T-shirt, and two very large, wicked –looking guns on each hip. She was sweating profusely and took the time to dab at her forehead with her cloth.  
  
Before her stood a girl, seemingly unaffected by the hot, Egyptian sun. She looked nine or ten, but the woman knew better than to treat her as anything less than a devastatingly cunning prodigy, far more intelligent than she or most other people around.  
  
The girl gave a careful and tilted up her face, so that the shadows didn't obscure her most distinguishing feature: her albino skin. It was pale, almost translucent and extremely sensitive to light, hence the large, wide brimmed hat. "It will work, Kari." The girl was still scanning the landscape, but a few seconds later, she paused. "There, there it is."  
  
"What? I don't see anything."  
  
"No surprise, it's a hologram, a visual projection. A rather complicated one, if I'm not mistaken.  
  
"How do you know where it is then? Olivia?"  
  
The girl was walking already, and she waited for Kari to catch up before answering. "The ambient light, it seems to bend around the hologram, it's a deficiency that even the best of the come to experience. It's nearly imperceptible, unless one knows what to look for.  
  
Kari furrowed her eyes, she still didn't see anything.  
  
That was right around the time that the child prodigy, Olivia, literally disappeared from sight , seeming to vanish into thin air. Kari's eyes went wide, and then all of the sudden, the entire landscape around her changed from a desert landscape to a dark, musty chamber. "What de-"  
  
"You have just entered the hologram," explained Olivia, who was already on the other side. "We currently happen to be inside of an ancient treasure site, as the manuscripts predicted."  
  
"You said dere would be technology."  
  
"Just because it does not superficially resemble our current technology does not mean it functions unlike it." Olivia walked over to a wall and placed a finger against an inscription. The figures instantly lit up an iridescent blue. Olivia withdrew her finger and then traced along one of the other inscriptions, doing the same to another once she was finished. That same blue light trailed the path of her pale, index finger. Finally, after ten minutes or so, Olivia withdrew her hand a half a foot holding it there. A section of the wall, shaped like a cube suddenly disengaged from the main body, coming to hover above Olivia's outstretched hand.  
  
"What is dat?" Kari nervously fingered the straps to her twin blasters.  
  
"This, "Olivia paused, as if searching for the right words. "This is leverage."  
  
"Over whom?"  
  
A smile. "The entire world."  
  
***  
  
Wonder woman flew through the Gotham sky in the Javelin 7, searching for any sign of the Dark Knight.  
  
She put her JlA communicator to her mouth. "This is Wonder Woman. Remind me again how I'm supposed to find him."  
  
"Look for any sign of trouble, odds are he'll be there," said Superman on the other side of the connection.  
  
Easier said than done, thought the Amazonian Princess. "Why must he keep a secret identity, its almost like he wants to make himself hard to reach," she then muttered to herself.  
  
"Pardon, didn't quite catch that."  
  
"Nothing." A flash of light caused Diana's gaze to shift toward the view port. "Huh, just saw an explosion or something."  
  
Another flash, this one with an accompanying boom that Diana clearly heard. "Hold on just a second," she said, "I'm going to go check this out." She put the Javelin into landing mode and landed right in front of the entrance to the Gotham Bank. Flames and smoke rose into the air from a hole in the east wall and multiple figured clad in back were toting heavy-looking bags out of the building. Diana may not have been entirely familiar with the Man's World, but she sure as heck knew a bank robbery when she saw one.  
  
She glided out of the cockpit, having barely made it out before the robbers began shooting at her. In the nighttime, their aim was terrible, making up for accuracy with sheer numbers.  
  
Ping. Her bracelets were up, deflecting the rounds that came her way. "Give it up, she yelled, walking forward, her arms flying once in a while to intercept a bullet.  
  
No response. Sighing, Diana took the offensive, flying forward and solidly socking one of the masked men in the jaw. To her left, one of the thugs was preparing to hit her with a club, but she quickly dismantled him with a sidekick that sent him careening into two of his companions.  
  
"Lady, you just made a big mistake." It was the first thing any of the robbers had said since the shooting started. Diana whirled around and knocked his gun hand out of the way just in time to keep from being nailed in the face. So surprised had she been that she hadn't even held back, and with an audible crack, the bones in his hand shattered. Howling in pain, he sank to the grass, incapacitated.  
  
BOOM. With the force of a freight train, something slammed into the Amazon and exploded, the force depositing her a good fifteen yards backwards. There was a moment of blistering heat, and then a thud as she hit the ground, skidding a little before landing to a stop. She sat up, and then noticed the last robber with a very large rocket launcher that was propped up against the side of the getaway car.  
  
Diana's Amazon training took over. She flew to the side, narrowly avoiding being hit by another missile, and then made a beeline for the fire hydrant. With her Amazon strength, she easily unscrewed the nozzle. The resulting stream of pressurized water knocked her remaining adversary, missile launcher and all, smack into a nearby tree.  
  
She heard sirens in the distance, which was good, although she wondered why they had not arrived earlier. Or more importantly, where Batman was, since that was whom she had come to find in the first place.  
  
***  
  
The Batman raced down the dark alleyway in pursuit of the murderer. He was vengeance incarnate and one pathetic little killer wouldn't stand a chance. Behind, bleeding on the ground lay the dead couple, both of whom had been fatally shot multiple times. And for what? A petty mugging.  
  
The gunman had gotten an incredible head start but Batman had since shortened the gap between them significantly. He reached and grabbed the fleeing man's arms, violently yanking him backwards. The man reached for his gun, but it was batted away he got two devastating punched in the gut for his trouble. Gasping, he dropped the bag of money he had been holding in his other hands, falling to his knees. He looked up and the Bat, those merciless white eyes boring into the depths of his soul. Then he collapsed, unconscious.  
  
It was the fourth criminal that Batman had apprehended that day, and he still was not satiated. He was frustrated, and the quickest remedy for that was usually a good round or two of villain butt-kicking.  
  
It wasn't good enough though. Even as he climbed back into the Batmobile, he berated himself for not arriving on time to actually stop the murder instead of just the murderer.  
  
His comm. link went off. He pressed the transmitter in his cowl. "Oracle?"  
  
"Yeah, just wanted to let you know there's a commotion down near the bank, it's all over the police bands."  
  
Batman cleared his head of all previous thoughts, focusing on this new situation. "I'm on it."  
  
"Oh, and you got another message from the JL, do you want me to-"  
  
"Not right now."  
  
A pause. "Okay, whatever you say."  
  
When he arrived at the scene of the crime, he immediately realized that whatever situation there had been was no longer one now.  
  
It wasn't too long before he also realized why. Standing in the midst of a dozen or so cops was Wonder Woman. He scowled. What was she doing in his city?  
  
He got out of the Batmobile, pushing his way past reporters and cops to where Commissioner Gordon stood talking to Wonder Woman.  
  
"Batman," the Commissioner said. "Glad you made it.  
  
Batman gave a curt nod, surveying the scene. His eyes came to rest on Diana, who fidgeted nervously under his gaze. "What happened, Jim?"  
  
The Commissioner nodded to Wonder Woman. "Ask her, she was the one who stopped the robbery."  
  
Diana opened her mouth to speak when she noticed all of the reporters and policemen gathered around her and the Batman. Batman picked up on this too and a piercing gaze from his trademark BatStare dispersed the crowd soon enough.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.  
  
"It was the only way to contact you, since you weren't answering your communicator."  
  
"Why, whats the problem?"  
  
"Cities all over the world are experiencing a change in weather patterns. The Watchtower's sensor arrays are detecting a rapid acceleration in the progress of global warming. The obvious effects won't be noticeable for a good week, but by then, it could be too late. Also, there's something beginning to materialize over the earth's atmosphere and we have no idea what it is." She spread out her hands in a gesture of helplessness.  
  
Batman tapped the comm. link in his cowl. "Are you getting this, Oracle?"  
  
"Yep, the lady's right, I'm afraid. Something's screwed up in the atmosphere, satellites are just starting to pick up on it."  
  
Batman looked back at Wonder Woman. "And you have no idea what it is?"  
  
"None, Oracle responded.  
  
Satisfied that her story had been confirmed, Wonder Woman continued. "We could really use your help."  
  
Batman was silent for a moment.  
  
"Look, if you're concerned about Gotham being safe in you absence, just have one of your protégés take over in your absence," Diana said, answering the very question that Batman had been contemplating. She did have a point.  
  
He glanced over at the Javelin 7, resting on the bank's front lawn. "I'll come."  
  
Wonder Woman smiled.  
  
"One thing though. This is my city, Diana, and I don't take kindly to new superheroes making waves here." With that, he turned and began walking toward the Javelin 7.  
  
"But I just stopped a-"  
  
"You upset a balance, Diana. Good intentions nonwithstanding." He continued walking.  
  
"Yeah, you're welcome."  
  
***  
  
Back in the Watchtower, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Superman, Flash, and J'onn, waited for Diana to return. Flash was playing his X-Box while Superman and J'onn pored over the onboard computers of the Watchtower.  
  
John was washing dishes in an attempt to make himself useful. There was a tenseness in the Watchtower, had been for a while since J'onn had first discovered the strange anomalies on earth and in the atmosphere.  
  
It felt good to take a break from the ring though. He used it so often that sometimes, it was almost as if it was the ring that defined him, and not the other way around. The ring, it was such a powerful, awe-inspiring weapon and sometimes, he thought he was in danger of forgetting that there was more to him than the ring.  
  
No ring now, just him and a sink full of dishes, Marvin Gaye playing in the background. After he finished, he would probably fix up something to eat. Spaghetti maybe, perhaps even a pizza . . .  
  
He was about to put a wet dish in the drying rack when a hand reached out and took it. He turned around to find Hawkgirl standing behind him. She smiled and flapped her wings faster than the eye could follow, creating a gust of wind that immediately dried that dish, along with all the other pots, pans, plates, and bowls in the drying rack.  
  
"Hey," she said.  
  
"Hey yourself."  
  
"Superman said you were in here."  
  
"Come to give me a hand?"  
  
Hawkgirl shrugged. "Not like there's anything better to do." She took another wet dish and dried it in the same fashion she had before.  
  
"Not even playing Shopping Cart Derby 4 with Flash?"  
  
"Tried that. A game whose basic point is running around on a motorized shopping cart, knocking over shelves and bystanders gets real old real fast."  
  
"Well, I appreciate the help." He was suddenly struck by a thought. "Tell me Shay, what's your favorite earth food?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I was thinking of cooking something up, but I can't decide what."  
  
"You cook?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"That surprises me."  
  
"I came from the Marines, Shayera. It was either learn how to cook by yourself or be forced to eat the tasteless, odorless, mush they fed us." He finished the last plate, which she subsequently dried. "Any word yet from Superman and J'onn?"  
  
"No. Diana volunteered to go get Batman though, and he probably has a lot more resources than us." She shuddered. "That guy gives me the creeps."  
  
"I think he'd take that as a compliment." 


	2. Chapter 2

"Justice League, its good to see you," said Gerald Groenig, the president of the United States.  
  
"And you as well," said Superman. "How can we help you?"  
  
"The White House, along with every other nation's capital, has received a rather . . .disturbing broadcast. From the looks of things, we have a situation that may be out of our hands."  
  
"Really."  
  
Groenig nodded. "Here it is." His image was suddenly replaced by a different face, the one of a bald man in his thirties or so with tan skin, a diamond stud in his ear, and an immaculate Armani suit.  
  
"Hello," he began amiably, "I would like to thank all the world's leaders for taking the time to receive my broadcast." His words were in slightly accented English with multilingual subtitles being displayed below. "My name is Lucas, last name is irrelevant, and I am the prime minister of Grenat, a small island country located just off the coast of Africa. As I'm sure most of you have noticed, the weather patterns of our humble planet have . . .changed a little. Or perhaps a lot, regardless, the one thing we can all agree on is that you will start having major problems soon.  
  
"I, regrettably, am going to have to take responsibility for this. That's right, my agents are at this very moment securing their control over the earth's atmosphere. For those of you out there who are scientifically minded, I'm sure I don't have to explain what exactly complete control entails. The power to make droughts, the power to make floods, the power to create another Ice Age.  
  
My demands are quite complex, and I do not have time to go into them now, so for the moment, just contemplate what can happen if they are not met. The most foolish thing you can do at the moment is dismiss me, underestimate me, because know this: I will not hesitate to lay waste entire cities, it means nothing to me. I have a little demonstration in the works that should leave you with very little doubt as to the veracity of my claims, so stay tuned. Its coming."  
  
Lucas smiled, and then his image winked out, reverting back to the President's. "What do you think?" he asked.  
  
Superman frowned. "It's a far-fetched claim, but I wouldn't dismiss it. Have you ever heard of the country of Grenat?"  
  
Groenig shook his head. "Its not on any map, and its undetectable by our satellites. I've never heard of it in my life."  
  
"Neither have I. Unfortunately, that means that we cannot do anything, until this demonstration of his. The thought is uncomfortable, but it's the only option."  
  
"Very well then Superman, any help you could offer would be most appreciated."  
  
Superman nodded and the screen went blank. He turned to J'onn. "What do you think?"  
  
"It is imperative that we locate this island. I have the feeling that this man, Lucas, was being honest."  
  
"But how? How could someone alter the earth's atmosphere so easily. Its hard to imagine."  
  
"Most things that we encounter in our line of work are," said a voice from behind them. Superman craned his head around, seeing Batman in the doorway, Wonder Woman behind him. "Glad you could make it."  
  
The Batman didn't acknowledge this. He simply strode past Superman and up to the computer console, tapping a few buttons and opening up a different chart. No time wasted in frivolous greetings, he was direct and to the point.  
  
He hadn't changed a bit.  
  
***  
  
"The chain of events has begun," Olivia said, half to herself and half to Kari. She looked up at the sky. "Our master has requested a sample of what this device can do."  
  
"I wouldnah mind seeing one myself."  
  
"Hmm." The albino girl ran her delicate fingers over the cool, hard surface of the cube. "Mentrel fristi saknogh, laferne das!" she commanded, her soft voice uttering commands in a strange, ancient language that may as well have been Latin for all Kari knew. She was simply muscle, and her purpose was to protect Olivia from anything that threatened to stop her in this most delicate stage of the operation.  
  
"Watch," Olivia's voice was hushed, just barely above a whisper. She raised her hands, the sleeves of her cloak falling down to her elbows. An inky darkness, rose like a vapor out of her fingertips. It seemed almost tangible.  
  
The inky blot rose higher and higher and higher into the air, constantly changing form.  
  
"What is dat?"  
  
"Our demonstration." Olivia smiled, and then dropped her arms forcefully. "Cerion!"  
  
The inky blackness diffused itself through the sky, becoming a larger and larger black dot against the simmering sun. A shadow began to form directly over the two, providing a cool, sharp contrast to the baking sun.  
  
The darkness kept spreading, and the shadow became larger and larger, it was like watching an eclipse.  
  
"What have you done?" breathed Kari.  
  
Olivia just smiled.  
  
***  
  
Flash poked his head in the kitchen, nose sniffing. "Whoa that smells good," he said as John took the pizza out of the oven.  
  
"Shouldn't you be on a date with your PS2 or something," remarked Hawkgirl.  
  
"Hardly. Anyway, Supes wants us all in the monitor room."  
  
John turned around. "Why? What's the matter?"  
  
Flash shrugged. "Not quite sure. Something about the atmosphere or something." He flashed a grin. "I had no idea you could cook GL, but do us a favor and ditch the apron, 'kay."  
  
Green Lantern ignored the remark and was already striding toward the door. Hawkgirl followed suit, taking the time grab a slice before leaving.  
  
***  
  
"And that's our basic situation," Superman informed them, concluding his briefing. "We've got an unknown leader of an unknown nation claiming responsibility for a worldwide heat crisis and promising a demonstration of some sort."  
  
"He sounds like a nut," commented Hawkgirl.  
  
"No argument there," concurred Green Lantern. "Is he the only one who claimed responsibility though?"  
  
"Yes." It was Batman who answered the question, having just turned around from his computer console. "I hate to say it, but I believe him. It's the only plausible explanation, this cannot possibly be a natural atmospheric fluxuation, its too rapid."  
  
Diana leaned against the wall. "So whats the plan?" she asked.  
  
"If I may make a suggestion," J'onn interjected. Once he had their attention, he continued. "We should split into three teams."  
  
"Three?" The question came from Flash.  
  
"Correct. In my opinion, we should have three main objectives. One, find and neutralize this Lucas." He put an emphasis on the last word. "Two, he alluded to agents of his who were actually the one's manipulating the earth, we need to locate them as well. Three, some of us need to stay behind to act to direct the others, using the Watchtower's computer and communication systems."  
  
"I'll deal with Lucas," Hawkgirl volunteered.  
  
"I'll join her," Green lantern added impulsively. Hawkgirl turned around, an eyebrow raised.  
  
"I could help find his agents," said Superman.  
  
"Yeah, I'll go with Supes," Flash remarked. "Better than being cooped up here in the Watchtower. J'onn, you coming?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose I will."  
  
It went without saying then, that Batman and Wonder Woman would stay behind on the Watchtower. Wonder chanced a peek at the Batman, but like always, he showed about as much emotion as a rock. Indifferently, he nodded. "I'm afraid I can't give you all much of a starting point. Lucas has given a general region of his whereabouts, but as we know, his island country isn't on any map and is undetectable by satellite."  
  
"Yeah, but that makes it conspicuous in its own right," Lantern said. "All we have to do is find the one area that doesn't show up on any of our scanners, and we've found Grenata."  
  
"Grenat," corrected Flash.  
  
"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, my ring should be able to help in that regard." Even as he said it, John felt a small pang of sadness. Here it was, another threat to the world and once again, he was no longer John Stewart, but the Green Lantern, an entity who possessed incredible power, but all thanks to a little ring. He reached into his pocket and withdrew the emerald band, sliding it onto his finger. Almost instantaneously, his street clothes were transformed into his uniform. "Hawkgirl and I will keep in touch as often as possible," he told Batman. "Let us know if anything happens that we need to know."  
  
Batman nodded.  
  
Still slightly mystified that Green Lantern had volunteered to work with her, Hawkgirl walked over to John, eyeing him with a curious expression. It wasn't that she minded, just the opposite in fact, but she was certainly surprised.  
  
He looked down at her. "Ready?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
AN:// Thank you for the reviews. As you may have noticed, I've updated the first chapter, since the one that I posted originally was slightly incomplete. The new update has more back story, so if you haven't read it, I'd certainly encourage you to.  
  
This fic does not take into account the events of Wild Cards, as should go without saying. At this point, John and Shayera are just becoming friends, although that will soon change.  
  
This fic is based in the JLA animated verse, even though I will bring in characters such as Oracle, who exist in the comic verse.  
  
Well, I hope you like and I hope you'll tell me what you think, suggestions and even constructive criticism welcome.  
  
Pleasant Day 


	3. Chapter 3

"Never can get a break. I swear to God we never get a break. Always some supervillian or freak storm or alien invasion we have to stop and then we inevitably end up getting our butts kicked at least once in the whole process of world saving. So then what? So then we come back home, don't get paid a dime, the media blasts us, and we just sit around the watchtower waiting for the whole danged cycle to-"  
  
"Flash, shut up," Superman interrupted. "Please. I've been listening to you complain for almost a half hour now and its been a half hour too much, OK."  
  
The Flash's eyebrows went up. "Getting all Hawkgirl on me now?" he muttered, leaning his head back. "Seriously though, you guys ever wonder if its worth it?"  
  
"If what is worth it?" asked J'onn, who was piloting the ship.  
  
"Y'know, saving the world and everything."  
  
"Of course its worth it," Superman stated.  
  
"Well yeah I know, but still, don't you wish we got some kind of compensation or something?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Ooookay. Never mind then. I guess I'm the only one who's ever entertained the idea of getting paid one in a while for saving the universe."  
  
"This is about that Senator Lee's comments earlier today, is it not," remarked J'onn.  
  
"Easy for a telepath to figure out."  
  
Senator Brian Lee was the new voice in the ever-growing anti-metahuman movement. He had made his views public just earlier that day right after the Monitor Room briefing, declaring that metahumans were menaces to society who considered themselves unbound by the law, wreaking mayhem and property damages without a second thought in their superhuman showdowns. He had not mentioned anyone specifically, but it was obvious he was referring to the Justice League in particular, as they had just recently stopped a monster from flattening Metropolis. Needless to say, the government property damage was in the millions, and that was all the press seemed to be focused on lately, never mind that Metropolis had nearly been decimated and the property damage had the JL not intervened would have been much higher.  
  
"Ignore the Senator," Superman advised. "There will always be people like him, people who cannot see us for the good we do. Don't let them get to you."  
  
A wry smile. "Spoken like a true boy scout."  
  
The comm. link went on, and Superman picked up the communicator. "Batman?"  
  
"I have some approximate coordinates for you."  
  
"Great."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"Just flying over the Atlantic Ocean, although it would help if we knew where we were going."  
  
"Try Egypt."  
  
"Wait, how do you know its Egypt?" asked Flash.  
  
"A surveying of the energy fluxuations. They all seem to originate in that one country. It seems like the most logical place to check. I'm working on contacting the president in order to give him a heads up about your arrival."  
  
"Still, it's a large place to search," said Flash.  
  
A pause. "That's where J'onn comes in . . ."  
  
***  
  
Batman shut off the communicator and stood up from the computer chair.  
  
"Still no response from Egyptian officials?" asked Diana.  
  
"None. They have a whole lot more problems to worry about though, such as why people are falling left and right from heat exhaustion. Egypt is one of the country's that's being most adversely affected., and I think now we know why."  
  
***  
  
"Located it yet?" asked Hawkgirl.  
  
Lantern shook his head. "Not yet." In addition to creating a protective bubble around the two of them as they sped over the ocean, his ring had also created a simple radar-like device, one which he checked frequently for any readings that didn't match with known geographical formations.  
  
Hawkgirl sighed and continued to look around as empty ocean sped by. "So what's the plan if we find Grenat?"  
  
"When we find Grenat, I try a little negotiating. And if that doesn't work . . ." His mouth went up in a smile.  
  
"I try a little negotiation," Hawkgirl finished for him, smiling.  
  
"Yeah. Oh, here." He came to a sudden halt, looking around through the nearly transparent green bubble. "This is weird."  
  
"What? What is it?"  
  
"Something . . ." he as talking more to himself now. "There was a something up ahead . . .didn't quite match . . ." He pointed his ring out in front of them, letting a bright green ray sweep out over the area."  
  
"OK, that's certainly suspicious," murmured Hawkgirl. His green beam seemed to stop ion mid air, hitting an invisible barrier of some sort.  
  
"I think its some kind of force field," said Lantern. "Light negative, can't be seen or detected by satellite, I imagine the only reason we stumbled across it is because we were so close. And yeah, according to current geographic charts, nothing is supposed to be here but deep blue sea." He dissipated the radar construct and focused more energy towards the beam he had focused on the force field . . .with no effect. Clenching his jaw, he concentrated more energy, enough to cut through titanium steel alloy like hot butter. Unfortunately, it was still having no effect. He sighed and released the energy beam.  
  
"Just like Gorilla city," muttered Hawkgirl. "Here, let me try."  
  
Nodding, John dissipated the green bubble, allowing Shayera to fly under her own power. She hefted her battle mace, backed up, and flew towards where she knew the force field to be, putting all of her strength into a single decisive blow. Where the mace hit, the air itself seemed to bend and contort, but then the force field snapped right back into place, knocking Hawkgirl back. She furiously flapped her wings to keep her stability. "OK, that didn't work."  
  
"We could try going under it," said John. "I mean, the force field probably doesn't go all the way to the ocean floor."  
  
The idea hadn't occurred to Hawkgirl, but she supposed it could work. "Try it."  
  
The green protective bubble was up again in a flash. "Ready?" asked Lantern. He didn't wait for a response and before his passenger knew it, they were down beneath the ocean surface. Here, the force field was more visible, it had a glassy look to it almost.  
  
They were descending at a pretty fast pace, but even as they went deeper and deeper, the force field was still there.  
  
"How much oxygen is in here?" asked Hawkgirl.  
  
"Enough to last us a half hour or so, but we shouldn't need that much, I think I see the bottom of the force field.  
  
"Huh?" Those were the last words Hawkgirl got out before suddenly, they were on the other side. She felt a slightly nauseous feeling when they resurfaced, this time on the inside of the force field, and her gaze was still focused on Lantern. "Think yo ucould warn me next time before you-" She finally saw her surroundings-and was shocked speechless.  
  
***  
  
"Unfortunately," said Olivia, eyes cast to the ceiling, "It will take time for my efforts to take effect."  
  
A continent away, Lucas frowned, making sure to convey the full amount of his displeasure across the psychic link that the albino girl had constructed. "Creating a pain-in-the-butt heat wave will not suffice in this instance, I need something real, something powerful enough to have the President of the greatest country in the world biting his fingernails."  
  
"And you will have it."  
  
"I had better." He terminated the link, reclining in his seat.  
  
As fate should have it, that was precisely when the bright red sign marked INTRUDER ALERT began to blare.  
  
AN/: Next chapter: Lucas makes another address to the world, except this time he's got the globe reeling from his latest 'demonstration'.  
  
Reviews are always appreciated. 


	4. Chapter 4

"You're worried about Gotham, aren't you?" Diana guessed intuitively, leaning against the metal wall of the monitor room. She had been watching the Batman pace for the better part of twenty minutes now, occasionally checking the computer monitor.  
  
"I'm always worried about Gotham." Not exactly the warmest or most explanatory reply, but Diana pressed on.  
  
"You know, earlier, it seemed like you were avoiding us. You hadn't shown up at meetings for weeks, and you weren't answering your communicator.  
  
"My priority was Gotham. I was facing the crest of a crime wave, trying to keep more people from being victimized by the fact that I'm sometimes not around to protect them." Diana arched an eyebrow. "You think that being with us keeps you from being able to help Gotham. She tried to keep her voice neutral, although in her mind, she couldn't help having substituted the word 'us' with the word 'me'.  
  
"It can."  
  
"So you avoided us."  
  
"I decided that at the time, the best place for me to be was Gotham. Not the Watchtower." He finally turned to look at her. "I'm here now, aren't I."  
  
"Against your will, apparently."  
  
Batman turned back to the monitor screen, wondering how the conversation had taken on a sour tint. She made it sound so personal though. "We're not all natural team players, Princess."  
  
"Its impossible," breathed Hawkgirl. Lantern had similar thoughts but managed not to voice them.  
  
On the outside of the force field, the sun had been partially hidden by clouds, and the temperature had been on the chill side. Here though, the sun was bright and shining and giving off just enough heat to create a comfortable atmosphere, not to mention the birds that flew overheard. John thought briefly that it was as if they had entered another dimension.  
  
"I-don't understand," continued his companion, looking all around. Where the force field was, one could not see the outside world, or tell that it even existed. Visually, the scene of a perfect, sunlit ocean seemed to stretch on for miles, even though at a certain point, the physical power of the field would exist. It was the illusion of a utopia, and it was sitting right in the middle of the ocean without any nation having a clue it existed.  
  
On the island, huge towers rose into the air, a cursory look was all that it took to confirm that this was an industrialized nation. Green Lantern stared for a while, his mind formulating a plan. He turned to his companion. "Come on," he said, "Lets go."  
  
Wonder Woman sat down in the main living room of the Watchtower, reclined on the sofa. She wondered if perhaps she should have gone with one of the other two teams, since that was no doubt where all the action would be. She glanced at the hallway that led to the monitor room. Being stuck on a satellite with only Batman to keep her company certainly didn't rank among the top of her most entertaining list. The man did nothing but look at that blasted screen and analyze charts and data, pausing every once in a while to contact Oracle or one of his numerous other contacts. It was hard to get anything more than a duosyllabic response whenever she tried to initiate conversation.  
  
Perhaps that was why she was so attracted to him. He was a challenge, and a darned good one at that. The most valuable treasures are usually the hardest to reach, her mother had once told her.  
  
A whirring sound reached her ears. The large, steel doors to the Monitor Room slid back, and Batman stepped through, the entrance closing behind him.  
  
Diana arched a brow. "I was beginning to think you'd set up permanent residence in there."  
  
"New development. Some sort of energy field seems to have appeared directly above the country of Egypt. All communication has been disrupted. No signal can get in or out, and the field is impenetrable," said Batman, ignoring her attempt at levity.  
  
"What can we do?"  
  
"Wait. This is Lucas's doing, another global address should be forthcoming. In the meantime though. There's not much I can do, except keep an ear out."  
  
Diana patted the cushion next to her. "Sit."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
She gave an entreating smile. "You just admitted to having free time, and I myself have nothing to do . . .we can talk."  
  
Batman regarded her for a moment, then moved to sit down, choosing a place that wasn't conspicuously distanced, but neither necessarily close to Diana. "About what?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, how about your other identity."  
  
"Why?"  
  
I'm curious. Do you lead a normal life. How do you pay for the batmobiles and the planes and the equipment?" She flashed a slightly flirtatious smile. "What do you look like under the mask?"  
  
Caught by surprise, it took Batman a moment to gather together a response. "I can't really get into that. . ."  
  
"Yes, I did have a feeling you would say that." Diana sighed. "Why though? I'm not some sleazy tabloid reporter or a mad supervillian, I'm your teammate, you're . . .friend."  
  
"Its necessary."  
  
"But we're a team."  
  
"Like I said, I'm-"  
  
"Not a natural team player." She tilted her head to the side. "That's too bad though. Whether you think so or not, the team needs you. We wouldn't be what we are if it wasn't for you."  
  
"The guy with no powers."  
  
"The guy who's saved all of our lives more than once." Her eyes wandered, seeming to focus on nowhere in particular. "There's so much more to you than the mask and the cowl," she said softly. "But you won't let anyone get close enough to-"  
  
Batman stopped her mid-sentence with an upraised hand, rising to his feet. He had no idea how the topic had suddenly shifted. He was confused suddenly, trying to make sense of what his teammate had said.  
  
Time for that later though, he had just gotten word through the receiver in his cowl that Lucas had made another transmission."  
  
"What is it?" asked Diana.  
  
"Lucas."  
  
"Oh." Diana rose to her feet. "We'll finish this conversation later," she said.  
  
It wasn't exactly what Batman would have called a conversation, but he simply nodded and punched in the passcode for entrance into the Monitor. He had automatic devices in place that would record Lucas's address on multiple digital location, but he still wanted to see it live. "You've made your move, Mr. Lucas," he muttered to himself. "Now tell us what you're up to." 


	5. Chapter 5

"Didya miss me?"  
  
Batman's eyes narrowed behind the cowl at the first two words Lucas uttered. He already had a bad feeling about the course of the conversation.  
  
"Oh well, I'm sure you did. I'm also sure that most of you have noticed the recent crisis that has fallen our beloved Egypt. My agents tell me that there have been several attempts to break through the barrier that surrounds the nation directly along its political borders, and all have been unsuccessful. The field is impenetrable, and nothing can get through. This unwelcome ostricization would no doubt have disastrous effects on the nation, finding itself unable to import or export, tourists trapped in country, no one and nothing able to get in or out. . .your own analysts have probably confirmed as much.  
  
"Luckily then, that this is only a demonstration. That's right, I will have the field lifted in precisely three days, as I feel I have already proven my point. I am not someone to mess with, and I have no qualms about causing permanent ecological damage with the power that my agents wield. Remember that. I will make another address shortly, detailing my demands."  
  
The screen went blank.  
  
"Now tell me about this intruder," instructed Lucas once he had terminated the broadcast.  
  
"Intruders, plural," corrected his security chief, a beautiful, auburn- haired woman slightly above average height. She wore lightweight, formfitting body armor and a Uniblaster strapped in a holster on her right thigh.  
  
"How did they get in?"  
  
"We don't know. The integrity of the force field wasn't breached, so somehow they bypassed it altogether."  
  
"How? There aren't any gaps."  
  
"Well, technically, there are."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes. Thousands of feet below the water's surface, but they exist nonetheless."  
  
"Are you telling me they scuba dived under them?"  
  
"No, the pressure would have killed them. We've ruled out submarine units too, the gaps aren't that big."  
  
"What are we left with?"  
  
"They went unaided, somehow surviving the pressure."  
  
Lucas was tired of hearing secondhand information. "Okay, skip to the chase. Who is it? Where are they? Whats being done to stop them. If you don't know, find out."  
  
Alaina, the security chief, nodded and stepped back. She was an Adept, the title that Lucas had given to anyone on the island who exhibited supernatural abilities, and they did exist, especially in light of the nuclear testing the U.S. had conducted decades ago on nearby islands. Alaina was one of the most powerful on the island, and like most of the Adepts, she possessed superhuman strength, reflexes, stamina, sight, hearing, and smell, among other things.  
  
His two most powerful Adepts were in Egypt. Just them. They needed no assistance. The one, Kari, was an Adept whose powers extended beyond even the norm for her peers-far beyond-and was in Superman's class at least when it came to raw power. The other was an aberration, she possessed no physical power to speak of, and was rather weak, suffering under average vision acuity due to albinism, but that was more than made up for with her vast telepathic and telekinetic talents. Olivia was the only Adept to have such powers, and as such was worth more than a dozen of her peers, no question.  
  
They had delivered him the demonstration he needed. Some countries, the poorer ones, would succumb quickly. They would be devastated for life should Lucas do the same thing to them as he had done to Egypt. Others, like the U.S., would be far more reluctant. We don't negotiate with terrorists, that was their official line, and they no doubt considered him a terrorist by now. Nevertheless, empty rhetoric would not stand well against cold hard enforcement, and Americas attitude would soon change when it found its crops devastated, its water gone, or perhaps a few hundred simultaneous earthquakes, all topping the Richter scale. The possibilities were endless.  
  
He leaned back and waited.  
  
Two Justice Leaguers walked down the street, although no one would have recognized them. Green Lantern had simply used his ring to revert back to his street clothes, and Hawkgirl had wasted no time in waylaying some poor woman in one of Grenat's numerous alleys and taking her cloak. It was uncomfortable, but the cloak hid her notorious costume and the hood covered her hawk's head cowl. They made for an odd couple, but 'Don't ask don't tell' seemed to be an unwritten rule in this place. At least on the streets.  
  
"Now what?" whispered Hawkgirl.  
  
"We watch," whispered John right back.  
  
Hawkgirl snorted. '"What good will that- Hey!"  
  
She whirled around, causing John to follow. The object of her attention seemed to be a man in a dark suit and hat who was walking away, obviously not having realized he was being watched.  
  
"What? What is it?"  
  
"I've seen that guy before."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"I don't know. I just remember-"She paused. "Shade, that's his name."  
  
"The thin guy with the wand that creates darkness?"  
  
"Yeah, I'd recognize that face anywhere."  
  
"But what would a low-level supervillain be doing in-"Green Lantern stopped, cut off by his own astonishment. There, walking into one of the identical gray buildings along the street, was another supervillain he knew all too well. The Cheetah, perennial foe of Wonder Woman's who had also crossed claws with the JL at times. Now SHE was certainly one of a kind. There weren't many other ladies walking around with spotted fur and tails these days.  
  
"What the heck is going on?" Hawkgirl wondered aloud. Its like Supervillian Central or something."  
  
"Strange," agreed Lantern. He gestured towards a nearby tavern seems like the kind of place to find out some information."  
  
"From knocked out drunks?"  
  
"Alchoholic beverage is a very good tool to use, especially when seeking uninhibited information."  
  
"Uh, OK," said Hawkgirl. "Not quite sure whatcha mean there, but OK."  
  
The tavern was every bit as seedy and dingy as Hawkgirl had imagined. The smoke was so thick that It was nearly impossible to open your mouth too wide without going into a coughing fit. At one of the tables, a large creature with horns and green skin was mercilessly beating a smaller guy who was begging for help. Hawkgirl's hand inched instinctively towards the mace under her cloak, but John halted it, giving a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. "No need to draw attention to ourselves now," he whispered.  
  
Hawkgirl frowned, but withdrew her hand, following John to the counter where the bartender was serving up drinks. When he saw the two, he frowned.  
  
"You new around here?" His voice was raspy . . . sinister.  
  
"No," said John.  
  
"Never seen you before."  
  
"Then you need to look around more carefully," said Hawkgirl.  
  
The bartender regarded them both carefully. Then, finally, he began to reach for two glasses. "What'll you have?"  
  
John shrugged. "Surprise us. What we really want though is information."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"A man," said John, accepting the drink the bartender slid over to him. "A man named Lucas."  
  
The change in atmosphere was so sudden that John had to wonder if it hadn't been carefully rehearsed. The music stopped. The chatter ceased. Every tenant, including the bartender, pulled out a weapon. Knives, pipes, and even the occasional firearm.  
  
John glanced down at Hawkgirl, a smile on his face but clearly worry in his eyes.  
  
"Was it something I said?"  
  
Senator Brian Lee was in his element now. Surrounded by flashing cameras and inquisitive journalists, he still maintained his calm demeanor and disarming smile. The cameras loved him, the journalists loved him. Soon, perhaps, the American people would love him enough to go along with what he had to say.  
  
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the press," said Lee. "As you know, I have called another press conference to discuss something that I believe to be a growing threat.  
  
"Earlier today, a man known only as 'Lucas' apparently engineered the creation of an impenetrable barrier across the political boundaries of Egypt, including a good deal of the Suez canal. Already, the consequences of this disastrous development have made themselves known. Countries that have dealings with Egypt, including the U.S., are suffering enormous financial and industrial problems. All of this, reportedly, is because of a duo of metahumans, agents of Lucas who have managed to effectively neuter an entire sovereign nation, if you will forgive the bluntness of my analogy. This is a perfect example of what I have been saying for years now. Metahumans are powerful . . .too powerful, and what's to stop them from committing more atrocities such as this one. Guns? Tanks? Airplanes? Childs playthings to the metahumans!  
  
"Some have compared the measures I propose to the Internment of the Japanese to Manzanar, among other blights in our nations history. This comparison is vastly disproportional at best. There was not one example of a nationalized Japanese person committing one traitorous act, yet there are dozens of examples of metahumans who feel free to walk among us while causing billions of dollars of property damage, pain suffering, and countless threats to the planet. These people are ticking time bombs, and the government needs to sever its relations with any and all of them." He let the veiled reference to the Justice League sit for a while, giving the audience time to ingest what he was saying.  
  
"We have, for too long, supported these people while they continue to do nothing but destroy our cities and sacrifice innocent lives. It is time we were able to keep these creatures in check, before they grow to be a problem beyond our capacity to handle."  
  
He looked around. Reporters were frantically jotting down notes, and photographers were taking photo after photo. He had warmed his audience, now it was time for the icing on the cake.  
  
"Now we'll open for questions," he said, smiling. 


	6. Chapter 6

"Who are dey?" a large, burly man with long unkempt hair and a blaster rifle in one hand asked the bartender, who was himself holding a pistol trained on the two.  
  
"Never seen 'em before."  
  
"Look, we were just asking if anyone knew how to contact him," said Green Lantern smoothly. He decided to go on a hunch. "Look, we just got nailed on a dozen different terrorist charges and Mr. Lucas bailed us outta the slammer. We just wanna thank the guy, maybe ask for a tour of this place. I mean, this whole island or whatever is a real smooth operation."  
  
The burly man looked at him suspiciously. "A terrorist, huh?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
Suddenly, the radio under the bartender's counter squawked. "This is Lucas, and I want everyone to be on the lookout for two persons, a male and a female who have broken into the island. They may be posing as citizens, but we believe them to be spies who-"  
  
He didn't have time to finish before all hell broke loose. The man with the shotgun raised it to fire at Hawkgirl, who ducked out the way just in time. The round streaked over her forehead and right into the bartender's neck. He was dead before he started falling.  
  
Hawkgirl had no intention of giving Mr. Shotgun another chance to shoot. She easily leapt the five or so feet between them and lashed out with her foot in midair, catching him on the temple. She landed on her left foot and twirled to the side and out of the shotgun's path before applying a quick, yet effective elbow strike to the back of his neck. He went down and, wisely, so did she in order to avoid the hailstorm of bullets that chopped up the air where her head had been.  
  
One of the chairs began to glow a bright green and then as if hurled by an invisible hand, it slammed right into three of the gunmen, pinning them against the wall and knocking them out. John turned to give Hawkgirl a wink before delivering a swift side kick/uppercut combo to a reptilian creature who was trying to sneak up behind him. Hawkgirl whipped out her mace and plunged headfirst in the melee. One attacker went down with her first swing and two more with her second. A fourth, one with brown fur and large fangs, managed to avoid the mace but only to be caught right in the face by a waiting roundhouse kick. With the sound of crunching cartilage and bone, he too hit the ground.  
  
There was a noise behind her. Hawkgirl whirled around, ready to fight some more.  
  
"Whoa! It's just me," said John, throwing up his hands. "I think that was the last of them, the rest ran."  
  
"Sorry," said Hawkgirl sheepishly, sheathing her mace.  
  
"No problem." John turned to her as they walked out of the back door. "You're a pretty good fighter. I suppose I should already know that what with all the missions we've been on, but I guess I hadn't really noticed until now."  
  
Of all the compliments Hawkgirl wished John would give, that certainly wasn't at the top of the list. She didn't want him to think of her as a wild, battle crazed woman who was addicted to combat or something. "We had to take extensive martial arts training in the Thanagarian Police Corps.," she explained. "You don't fight so bad yourself, by the way."  
  
"It's just the ring," said John modestly.  
  
The Thanagarian woman regarded him for a moment. "There's a lot more to your skills-to you-than a power ring, John. I've known that for a long time. Never tell yourself anything different."  
  
They were encouraging words, perhaps just what he needed to hear right then. He patted her arm. "We'd better find some place to hide. Lucas will probably want to find us now more than ever." He saw her start to flap her wings and shook his head. "Uh-uh, that'll just be asking for attention, and it's the first thing everybody here will expect."  
  
"But what about Lucas? Didn't we come here specifically to deal with him?"  
  
John nodded. "Yeah, but this island is chock-full of super-villains with advanced technology. As strong as we are, it would be us against dozens, maybe hundreds of other metas. Lets just get out so we can come back later with a force capable of taking on a whole nation."  
  
That's when the sirens sounded. Hawkgirl bristled and would have whirled around were it not for the fact that a trio of heavily armed hovercars appeared in front of her. "Surrender, fugitives," said a voice over a loudspeaker, "or your lives are forfeit."  
  
"How original," muttered Hawkgirl.  
  
"There's six of them, three in front and two behind," whispered John. He turned a bit to the side so that he was facing the hovercars that Hawkgirl wasn't.  
  
"You have until the count of five to surrender. ONE . . .TWO . . .-HEY!!"  
  
The two superheroes did not give him time to get to the count of three. Arming his power ring's beam to the highest possible intensity, John bisected the lead armored hovercar, sending the occupants flying in the resulting explosion. He took to the air to avoid the laserfire from the other two on that side and dived after the one on the right. He dodged quickly in a peerless display of aerial prowess, but even so, the beams of destructive energy were just barely missing him.  
  
That is, until he managed to get ahold of the laser cannon with his power ring. He then was able to turn the lethal hail of energy on the soldiers inside, including the pilot. The controls were slagged too, and the armored hovercar crashed into the ground.  
  
Hawkgirl surprised the pilot of one of the vehicle by flying straight into his line of fire . . .and then doing the unexpected, diving under the hovercar where none of its weapons could touch her. She wasted no time in making scrap metal out of the engine and thrusters, diving away just in time not be caught up in the explosion that followed. She soared high and the other two hovercars followed in pursuit. They were faster than she, no doubt about it. However, They did not have as much maneuverability, a fact which Hawkgirl used to her advantage. After making sure they were following her at top speed, she braked in midair and started flying the opposite direction, right towards the lead pursuer. The pilot realized his problem, but was not able to respond anywhere near fast enough. Hawkgirl swooped under the aircraft, mace held up. The mace tore a line through the underbelly of the craft in only tenths of a second, given the speed at which the hovercar was moving. Its own momentum carried it about twenty yards through the air before the ruined thrusters gave out, the damaged engine drive jammed and exploded, and the chain reaction destroyed the entire hovercraft in a spectacular fireball.  
  
She glanced over at John. Like her, he had dispatched two hovercars, leaving two more in all. She wondered why Lucas would send such outclassed forces to stop the two.  
  
Unless stopping them hadn't been the purpose. Hawkgirl tightened her grip on her mace as the two remaining hovercars retreated down the alley.  
  
She felt uneasy now.  
  
Flying figures suddenly appeared in the sky, swooping down towards Hawkgirl and GL. There were dozens of them, and they landed without a sound.  
  
The maneuver was so well executed it had to have been rehearsed. They landed like clockwork, all of the females, as far as Hawkgirl could tell. They wore large blasters holstered at their sides, but they made no move for them, sign that they were confident enough to think they wouldn't need them. Hawkgirl counted twenty-five in all.  
  
"You are members of the Justice League," said the closest one matter-of- factly. "Hawkgirl and Green Lantern: your professional names."  
  
"Two for two," said John.  
  
"To tell the truth, I would enjoy to pit my power against yours," said the woman, "and so would my fellow Adepts. First, however, I must give you both the opportunity to surrender peacefully. If you wish to accept, you may do so now."  
  
Hawkgirl told her just what she could do with her offer using a veritable rainbow of colorful language and suggestions. Tact, apparently, was not her strong point.  
  
The lead Adept simply responded by raising one perfect eyebrow. "Very well, you will have to be apprehended by force."  
  
Hawkgirl shifted her weight, sliding into a Thanagarian fighting stance. These Adepts were capable of flight. What else, she did not know, but experience had taught her to expect the worse.  
  
Beside her, John similarly readied for battle. It would be his third in the same day, although he knew that the former conflicts had really only been to test them. In fact, it wouldn't surprise him to know that the Adepts had been observing he and Hawkgirl ever since the bar fight. They now had a pretty good idea of their powers and strengths. Maybe even weaknesses. And knowing how powerful John and Hawkgirl were, the Adepts were still supremely confident that they would be the victors.  
  
John and Hawkgirl, on the other hand, knew nothing about their new opponents, save that they were severely outnumbered by them.  
  
"Our goal is not to engage them," John reminded his teammate.  
  
"Yeah? Well it looks like they're gonna 'engage' us," snapped Hawkgirl. "Lets just cream these amateurs and get off the planet, like you-"  
  
Unfortunately, she didn't have time to finish the sentence, compliments of an energy beam from behind that hurled her a good five yards forward, pitching her body to the ground.  
  
They had attacked, and predictable, all hell broke loose.  
  
AN: next chapter, I'll cut back to Bats, Wondy, and the other members. Tell me what you think! 


	7. Chapter 7

"There's something significant about this," Batman mused as he studied the computer monitor.

"What?" Wonder Woman asked. She was standing behind him and now peered over his shoulder to see what he was talking about.

"This . . .warning. This three days that Lucas has given. There's a reason.

"He said in three days he would lift the field from Egypt."

"Precisely. Why three days?"

"Why not?"

"It seems odd to me."

"It could just as well have been four or five."

"Perhaps. Then again it could be a diversion. Perhaps he needs those three days."

Wonder Woman shrugged. "Far be it from me to dispute the Worlds Greatest Detective."

That actually got a small smile out of Batman. "I'd trade that for telepathy right about now. That force field of Lucas's is intercepting all of our transmissions. We can't contact J'onn, Superman, or Flash."

"What about Lantern and Hawkgirl."

"Their communicators aren't working. A fight, perhaps." He sighed. "Right now, we are seriously disadvantaged. I can't communicate with any of our teams and Lucas seems to have the entire Earth's natural balance at his whim."

"Any idea what he wants" asked Wonder Woman, her eyes on the computer monitor."

"The same thing anyone does," responded Batman. "Power."

"Sure would be nice to have GL around," remarked Flash."

"He's more useful where he is," Superman countered, already getting tired of Flash's mouth.

"Yeah I'll bet." Flash pantomimed Lantern's deep voice: "Oooohh Hawkgirl. _I'll _go with you to find a hostile nation nobody's ever heard of. Not that I like you like you or anything, just-"

"Grow up," muttered Superman."

"You know its true."

"Maybe. And maybe you're just jealous."

Flash snorted. "Psycho warrior chick with an electric mace, not really my type. Besides, for all I know she's butt-ugly under that mask."

Superman rolled his eyes.

"Now Wonder Woman on the other hand," Flash continued with a grin. "_She's _a babe. Great skin, great hair . . .and man, I love that costume."

"Gee, I wonder why."

Flash shrugged. "Cuz its patriotic. Anything turns me on more than a beautiful chick, it's a _patriotic _beautiful chick." A sigh. "She doesn't know what she's missing."

Probably doesn't want to, thought Superman. He didn't voice his opinion though, still scanning the landscape for any sign of their objective. 

"I see something," Flash announced after a few minutes. It was enough to cause both Superman and J'onn to look back at him.

"Where?" It was Superman.

"What? You want me to give you map coordinates or something? Use your supervision or something."

Superman was already scanning the horizon however, although it was hard to spot, even with his abilities. Every time he tried to zoom in on the speck in the distance, his eyes seemed to slip away from it. It was obviously a cloaking spell. Not a very strong one, but one that either extreme luck or extreme concentration to break. Flash had had the former, and now Superman used the latter.

"One and a half kilometers or so," Superman instructed as the ship raced over the barren desert.

"The ship's sensors are not picking anything up. A mirage, perhaps."

"Two people sharing the same one? And we're not dehydrated or overheated-"

"Though I could use a Coke," Flash interjected.

Superman ignored him. "I think the place has been put under a cloaking spell. If so, then the ship's sensor's wouldn't pick it up if it were right above it."

"How do you know its magic, Supes?" inquired Flash, leaning back in his chair. "Could just be radar shield."

"It feels like magic," Superman answered as they drew ever so nearer to that point at which he was sure something of importance lay, even as his eyes found it hard to focus on it for more than a few seconds.

"I hate magic," said Flash. "'Cept on a date. Magic's great on a date. Not in a fight though. Too unpredictable."

"Tell me about it." Superman still remembered his confrontation with Dr. Fate a few months earlier. The only thing that had been able to counteract the mystical forces he had used was Hawkgirl's mace."

"I sense another telepath," J'onn broke in.

Flash sat up, leaning forward. "What?"

"It appears that something here bears closer inspection," J'onn said. "Can you still see the object you could before?"

Superman looked out the window, eyes searching for it but he couldn't find it. It was like every time his eyes got close, they suddenly involuntarily skipped over what they were looking for. "No, I'm sorry," he told the Martian. "I can't. The cloaking spell is too powerful at this range."

"Then I will set us down here," J'onn announced solemnly. He keyed the correct controls, putting the ship into landing mode. "Prepare for a fight. They know we are here."

Kari checked her blaster as the ship neared, her eyes never leaving the intruding vessel. She knew that warning Olivia was pointless. The girl, with her telepathy, had probably known they were coming long before Kari.

"You must not let them in the chamber," Olivia warned. It was odd, hearing the girl's voice and not being able to see its source. Kari supposed that was just part of the magic of the chamber that Olivia was now inside.

"Who is approaching?" asked Kari.

"One human. Two aliens. The members of the Justice League known as Flash, Superman, and Martian Manhunter."

"I was warned dey could come."

"I am fully confident in you ability to handle them," assured Olivia. "As I said though, you must not let them enter the chamber. Everything, I mean EVERTHING could be lost."

"I get de point." Kari was not worried. Her own physical gifts should be more than enough to handle the intruders. Two of them anyway. Superman had fairly straightforward powers. So did Flash. The Martian was a bit more complex. He was purportedly a telepath and a shapeshifter, possessing flight and super strength, although to a lesser degree than Superman. He could become intangible and she'd even heard he could dramatically increase his body's density. All of those powers meant that he wouldn't be predictable. She would definitely have to watch out for him.

"They approach," Olivia said.

"OK, there's a woman just standing there," said Flash as the trio approached. He revised his statement. "A very hot woman too, if I'm not mistaken."

"You seem to have a one track mind," commented J'onn.

"Huh?"

Instead of explaining the term to the speedster, J'onn scanned the woman telepathically, much easier to do at this range. His eyes went wide.

"She means to kill us."

"How do you know?" Flash asked. When the other two looked at him, he held up a hand. "Uh, sorry. Stupid question."

"What should we do?" asked Superman. It was a strange situation, asking for orders instead of giving them. He knew nothing about the woman though and J'onn did. For now, the Martian would be deciding their courses of action.

They were now mere yards away from the woman. Pretty, as Flash had said. She had a gun of some sort on each hip.

"You have come for Olivia," the woman said in English that was tainted with an accent none of them recognized.

"Olivia who?"

The woman merely smiled. "Turn back now, or I'll have no choice but to eliminate de three of you."

"I'm shakin' in my Spandex lady."

"You think I am joking." It was an amused observation.

"No of course not . . .crazy." Flash coughed the last word.

"Who are you?" asked Superman.

"My name is Kari." She gestured towards Flash, who was checking her out from the side. "Does he speak for de lot of you?'

"Yes." It was J'onn. "There is another presence here, one that we feel is truly responsible for the recent catastrophes the earth has faced. We will not leave until we have dealt with him."

"Her," corrected. "And I cannot let you interfere with her work." She crossed the space between herself and Superman in a heartbeat, less than that even. Superman had barely had time to register that she'd moved when her fist caught him square in the jaw, rocking him backwards and off of his feet.

J'onn's eyes glowed. Kari gripped her head momentarily in pain, then straightened, laughing softly. "Mental attacks," she said through gritted teeth. "Dey don' work to well on me."

"You move fast lady," Flash said. In a blur, he was behind her. "But then again, I invented the concept."

Kari elbowed him contemptuously in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. She turned her gaze towards Superman who was getting up. Normally, a punch like that wouldn't have kept him down for long at all, but the magic from which some of Kari's abilities stemmed was the same magic that Superman was oh-so-vulnerable to.

She felt a flurry of punches on her back, like getting a massage from a hyperactive masseuse. She reached behind her to grab his arm, but he deftly avoided her hand, moving in front of her with blinding speed. THWAP THWAP. He slapped her twice across the face in the space of a few milliseconds, sending searing pain through her cheeks. "Bad girl," he said.

She punched out at him, angry now. No man had ever dared slap her. No living one anyway. She would ensure that this one met his demise painfully.

Superman's fist came pounding on the back of her neck, causing her punch to go wild. She pitched forward, landing face first in the sand.

"Had enough?" asked Superman as Kari slowly rose to her feet. He wondered absently why the side of her face looked so swollen.

"Yes," the woman replied through gritted teeth. There was a steely determination in her eyes. "I have." She pulled out one of her blasters in a quickdraw that Clint Eastwood would envy. She depressed the firing stud and a concentrated beam of solar energy hit Superman full in the chest. "I hear you have an intolerance for red sun energy. Dat was several hundred thousands kilowatts of it."

As if on cue, Superman dropped, the surprised expression on his face never changing even as his eyes went blank and he lost consciousness.

"Supes!" yelled Fash. He raced over to Superman's unconscious form lying in the sand. "You OK man?"

"No he isn't," Kari curtly informed him. She raised the blaster once more. "And neither are you." She fired, except that this time, a projectile instead of an energy beam shot out. Flash had no trouble dodging it.

Problem was, instead of continuing in a straight line, the bullet veered off course, once again zooming towards Flash. He sidestepped, only to have the bullet do a one-eighty and come zooming right back at him full speed.

He waved his arm super fast, hoping to create enough wind resistance to slow the bullets down. It wasn't nearly enough. The homing projectiles slammed right into his chest, cracking his sternum and sending waves of hydrostatic shock reverberating through his chest. He gasped in pain, toppling over with a soundless cry of alarm right next to Superman.

"You wan' be next?" Kari asked J'onn who was standing behind to his two fallen teammates.

"You know a great deal about us, Adept," said J'onn. "You should know that we never give up."

"Or die trying?" She smirked and raised the blaster, depressing the firing stud once more and sending a hail of homing bullets. "Hopefully, you're faster than you're friend."

The bullets passed right through him, now that he was intangible. Kari watched in surprise as the nanotechnology that allowed them to alter their course and actually pursue a target short-circuited due to the simple fact that there was no longer a solid target.

The Martian Manhunter flew towards her. He threw a punch. She raised an arm to deflect.

And then the strangest thing happened. His arm twisted as if made of elastic, the fist managing to get through her cross-armed block and hit her square in the face. Kari hadn't even had time to register the pain before another blow slammed her in the solar plexus, doubling her over. John whirled and kicked her in the temple using the momentum from his spin. She saw stars.

Furious, Kari launched herself at the Martian, only to pass right through him. She lost her balance but quickly regained it, transitioning immediately into a full-blown haymaker.

Human fist connected with something was no longer Martian flesh and blood. Much denser, like stone. The bones in her right fist shattered, sending waves of pain through her arm.

Kari hopped back, putting as much distance as possible between herself and the Martian. She could hear Olivia's telepathic ranting in her head. _What is happening out there?! You assured me you could handle them!_

_I can!_ Even as she sent this of course, she cradled her wounded hand. The bones were healing, thanks to her magic. That didn't mean she couldn't feel every tendon and ligament and muscle being realigned. The pain was excruciating.

_You can't even handle the Martian! And the other two will have to be reckoned with soon as well! Look for yourself._

Kari did. Sure enough, Superman was rising to his feet. But where had Flash gone?

She found the answer when the Scarlet Speedster tackled her from behind. At Mach three. She hit the ground so hard she thought she might end up buried in sand.

Flash zoomed back in place, watching as she rose to her feet. "That was for shooting me."

"You don' know who you're dealing with, fool!" spat Kari. She raised her blaster and took careful aim, not even noticing that Flash didn't seem worried.

She pulled the trigger.

A beeping sound awoke Diana from her semi-peaceful nap on one of the spare chairs in the Control room. She looked over at Batman, and then back at the source of the sound, which the communications array.

"Are you going to get that?" she asked. She stood up, stretched, and walked over to the panel. "Never mind, I'll get it."

"Wait!" Batman whirled but she had already pressed the button. Oracle's voice through loud and clear.

"Bruce, are you there?"

Diana froze. Literally. Her mind rushed furiously to make the connection that was there. Had she just called him _Bruce_?

"Great Hera," she whispered when the realization dawned on her, her hand going to her mouth. Meanwhile, Oracle continued. "Bruce? Answer me, I have the information you needed on Lucas."

Any other time, the look on Batman's face would have been comical. He looked absolutely mortified.

He cleared his throat. "Send the information to the Watchtower Databanks. Batman out." He stressed the word Batman.

"OK, I'll call back soon." Oracle hung up.

"Bruce." Diana said the word almost experimentally. "Bruce as in . . .Bruce Wayne." It was more of a statement than a question.

Batman mentally kicked himself. And Oracle. He had told her to leave messages, not direct communications. She had just unwittingly revealed his secret. What had she been thinking?

"Answer me," Diana said firmly.

"The answer to your question is yes. I am Bruce Wayne."

Diana was silent for a moment. It was one thing to know it, quite another to hear him say it.

"You could have told me-told all of us earlier."

"Why?"

"Maybe to show you trust us."

Batman turned around, his mouth set in hard line, yet he didn't answer.

Diana studied him. The strong jawline, set mouth, facial features. "It seems so obvious now," she said.

Batman still said nothing.

"Back in Paris when we danced, and then later in Kasnia when we fought Vandal Savage, I suspected. But then when I thought about it, it made no sense. Bruce Wayne and Batman are so . . .different in personality." She stepped closer. "Why, Bruce. Why are you so frightened at the thought of your friends knowing?"

"Its not that . . .Diana." Batman found it disconcerting, the way she called him by his real name. Bruce.

"Then what is it?"

"Doesn't matter now, does it? You know my secret identity, so my trying to hide it is a nonissue."

"Did you think I-we would look down on you?" Diana asked. "Knowing your identity?"

"No. I simply . . ."

"Simply what?"

Batman's eyes narrowed but he continued. "My dual identities and their complete separateness is the a very important advantage in my work. I don't freely distribute that information."

"Even to your teammates?"

"Even to you."

Diana knew he meant the word 'you' in the broad sense, referring to all the Leaguers but she couldn't shake the awful feeling that he was talking specifically of her. "You're reasoning makes no sense to me Bruce," she confessed, moving back away from him. His bluntness had rather ruined the moment.

"I can't help that Diana. Now if you'll excuse me, there's something I need to do." He strode purposefully toward the exit, turning only when he reached the door. "Diana . . ."

"Yes," she said, perhaps hopefully.

"You will tell no one what you know. Do you understand."

Diana frowned. "I won't tell you're secret, but as for if I understand . . ."

He closed the door behind him.

"I don't."

"_You don' know who you're dealing with, fool!" spat Kari. She raised her blaster and took careful aim, not even noticing that Flash didn't seem worried._

_She pulled the trigger._

And the gun literally exploded in her hand. She stared shocked as chunks of her own flesh went flying, fingers sliced right off by the resulting shrapnel. Her hand was, in effect, ruined. This of course to say nothing of the pain. She had been conditioned to handle pain, to resist torture, to block it out. The raw agony that assaulted her made her eyes water.

And all the while, Flash was smirking at her. "Wow," he said with a pinch of sarcasm in his voice. "I guess they just don't make ultra-destructive blasters like they used to."

"What have you done?!" screeched Kari.

He shrugged, then flashed a cherubic smile. "Oh, nothin'. Or . . .actually, come to think of it, I did disassemble your blaster and then reassembled it . . .the wrong way. You didn't notice? I guess maybe that's cuz I did it in a third of a second right before I tackled you."

Kari looked furious, something Flash wasn't sure he liked. J'onn's expression was impossible to read. Superman's wasn't. He looked scared to death of Kari.

But for now, the madwoman was concentrating on Flash. "You have no idea de exten' of my power, do you?" she taunted.

_Don't_ came Olivia's mental warning. Kari ignored her. It was the second time in one day that hand had been injured and that was starting to tick her off. It might not even heal properly the second time around.

"What you've seen," she continued, "is only a fraction of my power."

"Yeah, sure."

"You dink I jest, do you."

"No, I think you have a funny accent. Very unsexy. Ruins the whole super-babe vibe."

Kari chuckeled. "Actions speak louder den words, no?" She raised her mutilated hand. "Watch closely."

And sure enough, it healed right before their very eyes.

"What kind of stunt were you trying to pull, Barbara?" Batman demanded in his quarters. He held his comm. link in one gauntleted hand.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He could almost see her smile on the other end. "those words familiar, Bruce?"

"You knew perfectly well that Diana was there, and you revealed my identity! I want to know why?"

"Do you?"

"Yes!"

Oracle sighed. "Honestly, I was getting sick and tired of you trying to beat this woman off with a stick, Bruce. And your identity is one major part of your life you've never been wise enough to let Diana be a part of."

"Please don't tell me you were trying to play Matchmaker."

"I just thought that with your identity out in the open, maybe you two could make some progress. Maybe you haven't noticed this, but trust is important to Amazons. Do you see Diana walking around with a secret identity after all."

"I don't believe this," Batman muttered. He cleared his throat. "You had no right, Barbara. And for the last thing, there is nothing between Diana and I. There never has been and there never will be."

"You're making a mistake, Bruce. But hey, what do I know? I'm just an Oracle. Listen, just take a look at the files I sent, OK. Hopefully, you're better at facing mysteries than your own silly insecurities. Oracle out."

"_And for the last time, there is nothing between Diana and I. There never has been and there never will be."_

Diana was breathing hard. Calm down, she told herself. Don't . . .too late. The first tear formed and after that, there was no stopping them. They streamed down her face like raindrops down a windshield, threatening to turn into a full-blown sob.

She had come to check on Bruce. Perhaps apologize, even though she hadn't been sure what to apologize for.

Men! She found herself angry. Even more surprising, she didn't care. It was better than being heartbroken.

And so she flew, angrily, if that's possible, back to her own quarters, Bruce's words playing over and over in her head.

AN/: FYI, this takes place before Starcrossed, OK. This is back when Diana didn't have any definitive knowledge of Batman's identity and Hawkgirl and Lantern hadn't become an item yet.

Anyway, reviews are always appreciated and believe it or not, they do make me write faster.


	8. Chapter 8

John couldn't really see much of anything positive about he and Shayera's situation right now.

The battle had gone terribly. Of some consolation was the fact that both he and Shayera had held their own well, wounding countless enemy combatants and managing to do some serious damage before being taken down. About half of Lucas's Adept force was either dead or critically injured, a major setback for the man's plans. Still, that didn't negate the fact that eventually, the two had been overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

The cell was dark and cold and about three stories underground. They weren't bound or shackled, but then again they didn't need to be. Lucas had taken both John's ring and Hawkgirl's mace, and any attempt to escape would be dealt with severely.

"It was like facing an unlimited Justice League," said Hawkgirl, breaking the silence. "So many of them"

With an army of metas like that, Lucas could be a real threat even without the ability to control the earth's elements."

"Wonder why they haven't killed us," said Hawkgirl. She leaned her head on John's shoulder. It was a natural enough action, but that didn't stop her heart from skipping a beat when he shifted to accommodate her.

A sigh. "Beats me. Lets not plan on staying long enough to find out."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Maybe."

"What?"

"Still in the works."

"Great."

John opened his mouth to speak but then suddenly, the cell door opened, bringing in more light than either John or Shayera had been exposed to for hours and therefore causing them to squint as three newcomers entered the room. As Shayera's vision gradually adapted to the light, she could see three females, all Adepts. At least they matched the description of the other Adepts that Hawkgirl had encountered. Tall, statuesque, fit, almost Amazonian. It was the one in the middle though who stuck out. Even though she wore the same body armor as the others, the air she exuded told Shayera that she was the one with whom they would be dealing.

"I trust you have enjoyed our accommodations," said the woman. She had a strange accent that John had difficulty placing.

"Yeah," Hawkgirl muttered. "We love what you've done with the place."

The woman ignored her and instead looked at John. "And you, John?" At the surprise on his face, she laughed. "It is what de bird woman calls you, no?"

"You've been monitoring us." John said it as a statement, not a question.

"But of course. You are de prisoners, and very high profile ones at that. How could we not?"

"Why are you doing this?" John asked.

"Me? I am doing nothing. Dis whole business with de earth's elements and blackmailing de civilized world, dat's all Lucas's doing." She paused as if she had just remembered something. "By de way, my name is Aja. What of yours?"

"I thought you knew," interjected Shayera sarcastically.

"I know your first name, but not your last," continued Aja as if Shayera hadn't even spoken.

"What does it matter?"

Aja laughed. "I simply wish to know de full name of my future mate.

"Say what?!" This time, Shayera would not be ignored.

"Quiet, bird-woman!" snapped Aja.

"What are you talkin' bout with this _mate _nonsense?" John demanded, rising to his feet. "What's going on here?"

Aja looked miffed. "I would be grateful if I were you," she told him. The only way I managed to convince Lucas not to have you tortured for information and den killed was to tell him dat I wanted you as my bondmate. I believe you would call it marriage."

"What?! Why?" John sputtered.

"I observed your battle with my fellow Adepts. I have never seen a man fight as you do. To be honest, I did not dink it was possible. But we have wondered a bit, no? I believe you were on de verge of telling me your full name."

John's eyes were narrowed but to Hawkgirl's surprise, he answered. "John Stewart."

"Such an American name. I may not change it though. It fits you."

John was not taken in. "I'm still confused," he said. "First you send a whole army of Adepts or whatever you call yourselves to defeat me and Hawkgirl, then you lock us up and threaten to kill us if we try to escape-"

"It was not me who placed you here," corrected Aja.

John glared. "Close enough. You were complicit in all this" he gestured around the cell, "and now you want to marry me?"

"Yes."

"What about Hawkgirl?"

Aja looked at the Thanagarian with some amusement and a little bit of contempt. "She was not born an Adept, but we can find a place for her in our ranks all de same."

"Unacceptable," Shayera blurted. "John is not marrying you and I'm sure as heck not working for this madman that you serve."

"She speaks for both of us," said John.

"Really. I suppose you would rather be tortured mercilessly for every scrap of information in your minds that could help us and den executed."

"At least we wouldn't be betraying our friends," said John.

"Yes, you would. It might take a few weeks in de ,uh, interrogation quarters, but it would happen. Accept my offer and I swear by honor and title that you would never be forced to participate in any actions against de Justice League."

John shook his head. "You still don't get it. Lucas is a madman who has no problem with threatening hundreds of millions of lives to further his own agenda."

"All he wants is world peace."

Hawkgirl snorted. "Yeah, there's been a lot of that since he showed up."

Aja frowned. "You will see. Any minute now, he will be making another address to de world in which he will lay out his plans and motives. Come, both of you. I dink maybe you should see this.

Batman was poring over the information that Oracle had left when the computer flashed a message. Lucas Marvin (his last name had been in one of Oracle's documents) was making another broadcast. He quickly minimized the current document and opened the satellite video stream that would show Lucas's broadcast.

The man's face appeared, two statuesque, beautiful women on either side of him, standing still as stone. Lucas himself was completely animated though, with a suave grin that showed off his perfect white teeth. "Hola," he said, grinning even wider. "As promised, I am now releasing an address to the world detailing my plans. But first, I'd like to show you something. Appreciate this, because it cost me half my army and millions of dollars in property damage to apprehend these two intruders upon my humble island."

Batman's gut went cold.

"Here," said Lucas, "is an interesting artifact that I relieved from one of my new guests." He held up a green ring and Batman instantly recognized it as John's. _No_.

"In case you haven't recognized it, this is indeed the power ring of Green Lantern, a member of the American superhero group known as the Justice League. I'd show him too, but he's not really photogenic, go figure. This is a pretty cool little gadget actually, although it doesn't really match anything in my wardrobe so . . .." He tossed it aside. Suffice to say, without it the man's quite powerless. As for my second guest, she's not really that photogenic either. But _this_ is." He hefted up Shayera's mace, sizzling with electric energy. "Heavy little thing. Haven't found the 'off' switch yet, but it'll be a fun new toy to add to my collection. He tossed the mace aside as well, a surprising feat for a man who didn't look all that physically strong to be able to handle a fifty-pound (??) object with such ease. "Anyway, these two superheroes are currently enjoying my wonderful hospitality, the same hospitality that I will extend to anyone else who attempts to defy the sanctity of my island.

"When I look at the world, I see a troubled, turmoiled place. I see a world in which there is chaos and confusion. Civil wars and unchecked aggression. I see the United States of America forcing their ideals upon the rest of the world, using their vast military might to squash those who refuse and employing brutal economic sanctions in other cases that take just as many innocent lives. There are over twelve thousand nuclear weapons in the United States of America alone, over thirty-thousand in the rest of the world. This is enough nuclear might to eradicate the earth multiple times over. This cannot remain the case, and so I have a solution. Every nuclear power in the world is to surrender 100 of their weaponry to yours truly, as well as complete and total sovereignty over their respective nations. I am talking about a wide-scale simultaneous disarmament all over the globe. And complete authority over the globe, which all translates to a peaceful earth and prosperous humanity under my gracious rule.

"Now I know what many of you are thinking. That I'm a handlebars short of a full bike. Heck, you're probably wondering what size straightjacket I wear." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Just between us, it's a size seven." He straightened. "Anyway, you're probably thinking that I'm crazy and arrogant and I have some nerve thinking I'm gonna take over the world." He winked. "To which I respond that I can ruin the world's agricultural market with a snap of my fingers and flood the coastlines from Florida to Australia. It would be wise to accede to my demands. As I speak, instructions on how to go about this disarmament are being wired to all of the world leaders whom I referred to, which should hold you over until my next broadcast. Ciao."

Lucas's image winked out, only to be replaced with the President's.

"I trust you saw that," Groenig said.

Batman nodded. "You know what you have to do," he said.

"Declaring war on another sovereign nation is no matter to be taken lightly, as my predecessor undoubtedly can tell you."

"There could hardly be a more clear-cut case of aggression against the United States, not to mention the rest of the world. You have more than enough justification."

"People will say that I'm only launching this war to appease metahumans such as those in the Justice League. Senator Lee definitely won't like the idea."

"We'll see," said Batman. "I'm keeping an eye on him."

The President didn't ask for clarification, for he knew none would be forthcoming. Instead, he merely nodded. "This Lucas character seems like he's out of God-given mind, and that's what scares me the most."

"Understandably. My contact Oracle is in the process of transferring some new information about Lucas Marvin to government databases."

"How? They're like cyber Fort Knoxes. The encryption would take even a pro hours for the most basic of data access."

"It should be there within five minutes. Batman out." The screen winked into oblivion and Batman pushed back, standing up. This was not going as planned. Green Lantern and Hawkgirl had been captured and Superman's team was AWOL and incommunicado. Not only that, but Barbara had gone and revealed his secret identity to-.

His brow furrowed. Speaking of which, where was Diana? He hadn't seen her since she'd found out about his identity.

He walked out of the Comm. room and strode down the hallway. "Diana?" he called. No answer. If she was on that level, she would have heard him. The gym perhaps.

He knew his hunch was right even before he reached the gym where the various members of the Justice League routinely went to work out. He herd soft grunts of exertion as well as the loud THWAPPing sound that marked someone putting a harsh beating on one of the poor training dummies. "Diana?" he called.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" she said without turning to look at him, her voice laced with sarcasm. Batman frowned and ignored the uncharacteristic jibe. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She still wouldn't face him.

"It looks like you're murdering our brand new sparring dummy." Batman frowned. "Is anything wrong?"

Diana threw one more punch and then finally turned to face him, rivulets of sweat coursing down her body. Batman couldn't help but stare a moment longer than was necessary before repeating, "Well?"

"Nothing's wrong Bruce, I'm just trying to get a little exercise."

Her eyes were a little red. She had been crying, perhaps as much as an hour or so since he'd last seen her. Most people wouldn't have noticed the little detail but the eyes of the Bat missed nothing. "I thought you might like to know that Lucas made another address."

"I'll look at it soon."

Batman stood there. He knew she expected him to leave, but he didn't feel right doing so. Strange as it was, he felt a little guilty about the lack of tact he'd had in dealing with the secret identity situation. Perhaps that was why he found himself saying, "I could spar with you."

She actually laughed, turning back around as she gave the dummy a roundhouse that lopped its head off. "I do not think you will be of much use to anyone crippled."

"I don't intend to be crippled."

"And I don't intend to spar with you." Another blow, this one a left jab that would have snapped the dummy's sternum if he'd possessed one. Batman wondered who it was she was taking her pent up frustrations out on through the poor dummy. "We both know that you would lose."

"Perhaps. Consider this me making up for being a little harsh last time we talked."

"I don't want to hurt you _Bruce_."

A frown. "Trust me, you won't."


	9. Chapter 9

Diana had said she didn't want to hurt him. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly true either. Suffice to she'd definitely been on friendlier terms with him.

Batman stood five feet across from her, his gaze giving away nothing. His stance was not that of a fighter, but rather an observer. His hands were tucked away in his cape. She could tell that he wasn't going to be the one who initiated contact.

Which left the job to Diana. She hopped forward, winding up for a punch but then altered her body in mid-swing, swiveling so that she could launch a kick from her built up momentum. It was a classic deception, and one that would have worked if Batman had fallen for the fake punch. He hadn't however, this tactic being nothing new to him. He could have blocked the kick, but was content to simply step casually back, letting it fly harmlessly in front of his face instead of risk trying to stop the momentum entirely. In that span of seconds, there was any number of counterattacks he could have employed, yet he held back. He wanted to see what else Diana had.

The Amazon squared off, then silently launched another kick, this one a jab aimed straight at Batman's chest. This time, one of his hands left his side, coming up to tap the kick just far enough to the left so that it breezed scant inches from his shoulder. Diana followed up with a flurry of punches, mildly annoyed now. She was growing more irritated by the second though, as none of her punches seemed to be able to connect with her teammate/opponent. She hopped back and reassessed her strategy. Strong as she was, he was a master of using her own momentum against her to affect the angle of her strikes.

"You going to do anything?" Batman asked.

"No, its your turn to go on the offensive," said Diana.

Batman nodded, then, hands still in his cape, executed a perfect aerial summersault, twisting in midair to land behind Diana. The bout would have been over then and there had the Amazon been a bit slower with her backwards elbow jab, which nearly connected and forced the Dark Knight to roll back and out of harm's way. He sprung up, hands never having left the folds of his cape, and launched a side kick of his own squarely at Diana's chest. She turned to block, her hand not getting up in time and the strike glancing off of her collarbone. What surprised her was that it actually hurt.

She was able to block the next kick, a high one aimed for her chin. She pirouetted and delivered a roundhouse that Batman blocked. He shifted his balance, moving in closer and hooked his elbow under her leg in the space of a few milliseconds. Before she even knew what had happened, he snapped his arm straight, and flung downward, sending Diana crashing to the floor.

Batman looked apathetic. In truth, his forearm was throbbing from blocking his fellow Leaguer's last kick. There would definitely be a good-sized bruise there by tomorrow - he could already feel it forming.

Diana was rarely floored, even in matches against her fellow Amazons. It occurred to her that if they could see her now, they'd be rolling in laughter. Diana, Princess of the Amazons beaten by a human man . . .the idea itself was ridiculous.

She flipped back onto her feet, finding that in the time she'd been down, Batman had distanced himself a bit, not doubt to protect against any immediate attacks she might launch.

She drew him out with a jab that was packed with just enough power to have an effect if it connected and little enough power to serve its purpose, which was a feint. Batman stepped to the side and out of range, unwittingly opening himself up for a back kick dead in the center of his chest.

He had been kicked hard before by all types of lethal fighters ranging from Lady Shiva to Bane, even Catwoman had gotten in a good blow or two the few times they'd tangled. Being kicked by an Amazon though was a completely different experience. He felt a moment of weightlessness as his body was thrown into the air, barely having presence of mind to launch two batarangs before slamming unceremoniously into the ground and bouncing once or twice.

Diana saw the projectiles coming and did what came naturally to her-blocked them with her bracelets. Had they been bullets or even regular batarangs, this method would have sufficed. Unfortunately, they were specialized batarangs, built to come apart into a bolo with a triple-reinforced titanium weave cord. In the blink of an eye, Wonder Woman's bracelets were bound up tight by each bolo. Even with her super strength, breaking the bond would have been at least somewhat challenging.

Her super strength, however, was fading. Seeping away as the bolos tightened. Every super being had his or her weaknesses, whether it be superman and kryptonite or Martian Manhunter with fire. One of Wonder Woman's was that if her bracelet were bound together by a man, her strength would desert her.

As the Themyscarian princess stared helplessly down at her bound bracelets, Batman rose groggily to his feet. "You pack quite a kick, Princess."

"Just get these abominations off of me," Diana said, her voice seething with anger at having been incapacitated.

Batman nodded, pressing a button on the keypad built into his right gauntlet. The bonds fell away almost instantaneously.

"That was low," said Diana once she was freed.

"It was improvisation Princess. Just be glad I didn't end the match while you were still bound."

"How did you know that I would lose my strength?" Diana asked.

"I know a lot of things," replied Batman.

"About me." Diana clarified.

"About you."

"Yet you are angry that I for once discovered something about you. Is that logical?"

"Perhaps not," said Batman. "Then again, as I've told you, my identity is all that I have."

"I sincerely doubt that," said Diana, a smile touching her lips despite her mood. "You acquit yourself well in combat, and have demonstrated how to take out an opponent who has you physically outclassed. You have much more than a mere secret."

"What were you doing down here anyway?" asked Batman, changing the subject. "Or better yet, why were you crying?"

Diana stiffened, even as she thought ruefully that it was pure fantasy to pretend that a master of interpereting body language would not have picked up on such a simple thing. "It was a moment of weakness," the Amazon finally answered. "There was something, something silly, that I had . . .hoped, only to find out it would never happen. I . . .suppose even Amazons aren't invulnerable to childish dreams." She sighed. "Anyway, what's the situation on earth?"

"It's been better. Lucas has Lantern and Hawkgirl, and I haven't heard any transmissions from Flash, Superman, and the Martian."

"What should we do?"

"Wait. For now. We don't know enough about the situation as of now and are thus in no position to take any rash actions. I wouldn't get too comfortable though, I have a feeling that this situation will escalate fast." He swiveled on one foot and began walking towards the exit. "You pack a mean kick, Diana."

He'd just left the room when she realized that he'd called her by her first name.

* * *

"He's a lunatic," said Hawkgirl. "Bonkers, a bona-fide psycho. How in the world did you end up working for him?"

"Careful, winged one. I am a patient woman, but you are extraordinarily annoying. Dere are several Adepts outside who are quite displeased at de damage you inflicted upon deir sisters. I suggest you do your utmost not to displease me, or I may let dem deal wit' you as _dey_ please."

Shayera scowled, but said nothing.

Triumphantly, Aja turned to John who had so far said nothing since Lucas's address. "And what of you, John Stewart? What did you think?"

"Remember when I said Shayera speaks for both of us?"

"Yes?"

"I still mean it."

Aja glanced back and forth between the two captives, anger darkening her features. "You will learn to dink differently," she said simply. "Brahna, Kathre, escort de bird woman to an isolated holding cell, and John to my own quarters. I-"

"Whoa!" John interrupted, "If you think I'm gonna-"

"Not to worry, Aja cut in, "There will be more than enough time for that after the ceremony. As for now dough, we must get you prepared for de ceremony." She turned to Hawkgirl. "You too, bird woman."

Shayera frowned. "Why?"

"Its simple. You are de maid of honor, or at least its equivalent here. You will be present at de ceremony and you will look your best, although I doubt if dat is saying much. Any questions?"

AN: /Well, here is chapter nine of my JL fic, if anyone is still interested. I know I have not updated in a looooong time due to a combination of many reasons, but I hope now that can be rectified. Anyway, here it is. Feel free to give me comments or constructive criticism.

-Godfather


	10. Chapter 10

Flash hated Egypt already. It was hot and dry and not at all conducive to spandex. Not to mention that he didn't speak a word of Arabic.

Flash didn't know when he'd exerted so much energy. Supes and the Manhunter definitely ate their Wheaties, and speed or no speed it was a heckuva task whisking them out of the vengeful reach of Kari, the half-crazed demigoddess that he'd left seething a couple dozen miles behind.

"I could've taken her," Superman protested weakly, hand still to his forehead in pain. They were in a bathroom stall of all places, the only place that Flash could come up with on short notice that had some measure of anonymity, although that would only last as long as the next guy's bladder.

"Dude, you were-still are-sick from just being around her. You and magic don't mix to well, if I remember correctly."

For once, Superman had no comeback to one of Flash's remarks. As much as he hated to admit it, the speedster was right. He didn't feel well enough to fly, much less go into combat.

"Flash is correct," came J'onn's ominous voice. Right then, the wisest thing to do was retreat. There will be another battle, and we will hopefully be better prepared."

Flash jerked a thumb in J'onn's direction. "Never argue with a telepath."

At that instant, a portly, graying man walked into the dirty bathroom, whistling an unrecognizable tune. That is, until, he saw the Martian Manhunter and whatever business had been intended for the toilet took place right then and there.

"Yuk, Dude spilled his juice," Flash cracked.

J'onn ignored him, instead establishing a mental rapport with the poor man. _You will leave here and forget everything you saw_, instructed J'onn telepathically.

"I suggest we leave," Superman proposed once the man had left. He rose shakily to his feet. "We need to contact the Watchtower anyway."

"Aww, leaving already? I know this place doesn't look or smell too fresh, but a little spic'n span, y'know. A little freshening and it wouldn't be all that bad. You know, like some kind of secondary Watchtow-" He trailed off . Some audiences just had no sense of humor.

"Batman here," the Dark Knight said, picking up his comm unit.

"Bats, its Flash."

"What happened to your video signal?"

"I don't know. Probably got messed up in the fight."

"What fight?"

Flash told him, for once just giving the story straight.

"Is Superman OK?" asked Batman.

"Yeah, nothing some aspirin, bedrest, and Seinfeld reruns won't cure. Anyway, there's something big going on down there. I'm positive the sorceress we fought was trying to protect someone, and that that someone is behind our little weather problems."

"I see."

"Anyway, think you could get us an airlift back to the U.S.?

"Negative. I need you guys there. I can arrange for you to be transported to the U.S. embassy, but we need a presence in Egypt."

There were some people you didn't argue with, and Batman definitely topped the bill. Flash scowled. "Gotcha," he muttered.

Click.

Batman set the transmitter back in its cradle, turning back to Diana who was seated behind him in La-Z-Boy (Flash's idea) that sharply contrasted with the otherwise cold, metallic surroundings. "Well, that puts some of the puzzle into piece."

"Hopefully, we can see full picture before its too late," she replied.

Batman nodded. "Lucas said he had sent his plans to all world leaders, but I still have yet to hear from-"

Odd, that President Groenig would choose that exact moment to contact the Watchtower, but it happened nevertheless. The call sign beeped and with a quick push of a button, the leathery face of the President filled the screen.

"You're not going to believe this," Groenig said by way of introduction. It was Diana who answered.

"Try us."

The President looked at something offscreen, probably a monitor of some sort. "This guy knows the location, capabilities, and specifications of every heavy and nuclear bomb in our arsenal, as well as prototypes under development."

"You're sure about this?"

"Had the folks over at the Pentagon check it out. They're practically wettin' their pants over there. Never mind that half this stuff is illegal under international and was developed without my or anyone else's knowledge. What worries me is that this Lucas character knows about all of our military capabilities and is basically demanding that we turn it all over to him."

"How bad is this?" asked Batman.

"There's enough firepower in our arsenals to annihilate the planet twelve times over. Surrendering it is not an option. On the other hand, he threatens more atmospheric hocus-pocus if met with noncompliance."

"We are working desperately to stop him."

"No offense, Batman, but if Green Lantern and the Hawk lady are any indication, that is not very comforting."

The screen winked out.

* * *

If it were Flash in his position, thought John, the Scarlet Speedster would probably be spouting off bad jokes left and right. _"Oh, see, I'd love to get married baby, but its just moving too fast. I . . .I need time to think. I'm just not ready for this kind of commitment yet."_ Or: _"Hey listen. What kind of pre-nups are we talkin' about here. I mean, fifty-fifty sounds good, right? I get the Toyota . . . you get the tykes . . .everybody's happy."_

However, Flash wasn't in John's position, and considering the fact that he was about to become Mr. Aja, he didn't feel in a mood for joking. Sure, his bride-to-be was physically superb, but she wasn't right in the head. Not to mention she was an enemy of the Justice League and an international criminal.

There was an Adept preparing him for the Ceremony at that very moment, squirting some kind of odd-smelling cologne on his face and shoulders. She was wearing a simple dress, a nasty bruise over her left eye, and a scowl. He remembered giving her that bruise in the earlier fighting. Energy maces sure packed a wallop. As for the scowl, it was obvious this woman was as unhappy with the wedding as he was. Understandable, given the small detail that he was the 'good guy' and they the 'bad guys' (or vice versa to her perception).

"Ouch," he said reflexively when she plucked an eyebrow hair suddenly. The attendant smiled and plucked another one. Then another one. She wore a barely concealed grin.

"You're doing that just to spite me," he scowled.

"Yes she is," came Aja's voice from the doorway. "Bela, please leave now."

Any disrespectfulness the other Adept may have harbored towards John disappeared at the command of Aja. Bowing respectfully, she exited the room.

"Hello," John said coolly. Aja, pretending as if nothing was wrong, sat down on the bed and patted the space next to her. John's eyes smoldered and she laughed.

"Relax, John Stewart. I only want to talk. For now, anyway."

Reluctantly, he sat down. "Shoot."

"You have made no secret of your . . .reticence to be my consort," she began.

"Maybe that's because we're enemies," John suggested.

"Yes, maybe. However, I cannot help but wonder if perhaps de winged woman back dere has anything to do with it."

"What are you getting at?"

"Merely this: I want to know if you and de winded wom-"

"Shayera. Her name is Shayera."

Aja gave a wry smile. "My apologies. I want to know if you and Shayera are involved. Romantically. Do I have competition?"

"Actually, I would rather marry yo-yo than you, so having competition is a moot point. You are holding me here against my will and then you expect us to up and get married? Just like that? You work for a man who's caused hundreds of deaths and is willing to cause hundreds of thousands more if his demands aren't met. That clashes with everything I believe in, Aja. That's why I don't want to marry you."

This time, it was Aja's eyes that smoldered. "Ungrateful American," she spat. "You attacked my sovereign nation and are responsible for the deaths of numerous comrades and friends of mine. You are lucky dat our worst torture was not inflicted upon you for all of our people to see, dat you were not dragged through the streets like de foulest of trash while jeering crowds tormented you. De only reason dat dis has not happened is that I took an interest in you. I offered you power like you have never dreamed and forgiveness from all of your numerous transgressions and you would spit on it?"

John rose. "I'm a Green Lantern, and I've seen true power. You and your little band of metachicks don't come close. And the only way I would need forgiveness is if I willingly allied my self with you."

"But that's just it," said Aja, her voice returning to normal. You have no choice. And as for being a Green Lantern . . ." Her eyes drooped down to his naked ring finger. "Not anymore."

* * *

It was another press conference and another day, but Senator Brian Lee was still in his element and the press still loved him. Which meant their constituents loved him as well. Life was good, especially this close to his party's presidential primaries.

"Senator Lee," one pretty young reporter called out. "What have you to say about this Lucas character's latest threats?"

The senator replaced his charming smile with a more grave expression, appropriate for what he was about to say. "Lucas's threats, as always, should be taken with the utmost seriousness, perhaps more seriousness than the president has shown."

The reporter moved forward. She really was beautiful. He would have to talk to her after the press conference. Maybe arrange a little . . .'interview'. "Are you referring to the president's unilateral dismissal of Lucas' terms?" she inquired.

"In a way yes. Lucas or no Lucas, it is clear that our nuclear proliferation has done more harm than good. Weapons suited to fight a cold war that has long since grown colder have no place in today's society and the only results they have shown is to make our fellow nations more fearful of us."

"So we should disarm?"

Lee smiled. "Lets just say that it should be given more thought than a 'unilateral dismissal.' If we want this to end as peacefully as possible that is. Now if you will excuse me, I have an important conference to attend. I will be scheduling another meeting in the days to come. I hope to see you . . .all there. Good bye. He winked at the young reporter and walked towards his waiting helicopter. If the press had known his true destination, they probably would not have been so wiling to let him go.

* * *

Aja sighed as she walked down the halls. John had not answered her question concerning Shayera. He didn't have to. Her senses, different than most in that could perceive the slightest change in body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, pupil dilation, etc. told her enough. The mere mention of her name evoked more of an unconscious reaction than Aja's presence ever had. She couldn't say she understood it. She was beautiful, far more so than Shayera. I wasn't even feminine pride speaking, put a untainted recognition of her physical gifts. Most men had, and would, be drooling over themselves in her presence.

She idly wondered what it was that made Shayera so special. Wings? No, surely not something so mundane. It went deeper than that. Part of her wanted to just order that the winged woman be executed, but the more rational part of her mind prevented her from doing so. Having a woman that John Stewart clearly cared about killed would only make more hostile.

She had just finished contemplating that point when her portable phone rang. It was Bela, and she was calling to inform her that the Winged Woman had escaped.

* * *

AN: Yeah, I know, long time no see. Anyway, if you've just finished reading this chap, review as always.

About the Batman Wonder Woman fight: I got an email a while ago from someone who disagreed with the outcome of that fight. I can admit that my favorite character won (no, I'm not sexist or anything. Batman's just the coolest Justice Leaguer to me, and it is my story). I got the idea from reading a Justice League miniseries from a while back in which Ra'as Al Ghul (forgive my spelling) gained access to Batman's secret files on his fellow teammates. As it turned out, he had devised a method specifically suited to defeating WW, Flash, Lantern, Superman, you name it. By using these individual strategies, Ra'as was able to defeat the entire League.Therefore, I don't think its completely improbable that Batman (whose techniques Ra'as used) could best Wonder Woman in battle. Now a good point was raised that the show tended to diminish the character's weaknesses. Lantern, for instance, has a ring that will work on yellow and Manhunter doesn't seem to share his comicverse counterpart's aversion to fire. I personally don't know if they intended for WW to have her comic book weakness (power loss if bound by a man). Maybe they wanted to get rid of it like Manhunter's weakness, or keep it like Superman's weakness for kryptonite. I don't know. I do however know that by the same token, the cartoon has dampened down many of the Leaguer's powers. Superman has trouble lifting semis and Flash in one episode can barely catch up to a speeding car. Likewise, I don't see it as too unlikely that Batman would survive a fight with Wonder Woman, who we must remember was not fighting completely seriously.

Once again, sorry to all of you (or maybe just the one) who didn't like the fact hat Batman beat Wonder Woman. It was just a little something I threw in that I thought I could have fun with and who knows, maybe they'll get a rematch.

As always, R&R

Godfather.


	11. Chapter 11

I really should have planned this out beforehand, thought Hawkgirl ruefully as she fled down one of the compound's many corridors. In the heat of escape, she had assumed that she would be able to just rush in, grab John, and get out ASAP. That option, for a number of reasons was no longer viable.

Her knuckles still hurt from the workout they'd just been put through, but combat had been necessary for an escape, and knocking out both guards was vital if she wanted to conserve time.

"Hey!" came an alarmed shout from behind her. She turned, a scowl permeating her features. There were two Adepts giving hot pursuit, and they were going much faster than she was capable of. The closeness of the corridor's walls made flying an untenable option, so Hawkgirl's only choice was to face them.

She ground to a sudden halt, using her wings to create wind resistance aiding in her stop. Then she extended both those wings so that they spanned the length of the hallway.

Neither Adept was able to stop as fast. The first collided head on with the outstretched wing, the air whooshing from her lungs and consciousness deserting her. The second, who had been in mid-jump, clipped her shin on the other wing and went flying forward, landing painfully on her shoulder in front of Hawkgirl.

To her credit, she got up with an impressive quickness and went into a fighting stance. Centering her balance and preparing for a fight. She might have been able to win . . .If Hawkgirl had been playing by the rules.

But she wasn't. With a blinding efficiency, Hawkgirl pulled out a plasma pistol she had stolen from one of the prison guards earlier and shot the Adept right in the throat. The firearm was on stun, but even that setting was enough to knock the Adept unconscious and render her incapable of so much as a whisper, much less a cry of alarm for the foreseeable future.

A firearm was nice, but her mace would be better. Not to mention the unstoppable force John would become if he could get his ring back. She walked over to the first Adept and grabbed her by the collar, slapping her a few times across the face until she came to.

The Adept's first instinct was to shout, but the cold hard metal that felt suspiciously like a blaster barrel pressed against her throat stopped her.

"Listen," Hawkgirl said coldly. "I don't have much time, so I need you to be as honest as possible with the answers to the questions I'm about to ask you. If you lie, my hawk Vision will be able to sense your body's duplicity and I will be forced to kill you and find another source of information."

"It was probably one of the biggest loads of BS Hawkgirl had ever spouted off in her life. She was not going to be killing anyone and she sure as heck didn't have any kind of Hawk Vision. The Adept bought it hook line and sinker though, so Hawkgirl was happy.

"Where are Green Lantern and Aja?" she asked.

The Adept's eyes smoldered with fury, but she still answered. "They are completing the . . . Ritual," she gasped.

Hawkgirl had a sinking feeling she knew what "The Ritual" was. "Where is it?" she demanded. "Here?"

"No," came the choked reply. "In main courtyard, approximately a half kilometer south."

Hawkgirl silently absorbed this information. "Now, do you know where Green Lantern's ring and my mace are?"

The Adept nodded, careful not to press too hard into the plasma barrel.

"Great." Hawkgirl grabbed the other woman by the collar, yanked her to her feet, and spun her around so that her back was to Hawkgirl. She jammed the plasma blaster into the base of the Adept's spine to keep her from doing anything stupid, and then leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "You're going to take me there. But first . . ." Hawkgirl reached for the woman's communicator and flipped it open. "You're going to make a call."

"Are you sure it wise to proceed with the ceremony when Hawkgirl is still at large?" asked Bela, a blanket of apprehension on her face.

"Dere is nothing to fear," replied Aja confidently. Dere is still a formidable Adept presence at de base, and even if she were to miraculously defeat dem, she will be tired and worn out, especially without dat blasted mace of hers. Relax and enjoy de celebration-I'm getting married after all.

"A pity that the groom does not share your enthusiasm."

Aja merely smiled. "He will, Bela. Trust me, he-" Her sentence was cut off by the faint but still discernible hip-hop stylings of a certain bling-obsessed 'gangsta rappa'. Bela stared.

Aja gave an embarrassed shrug. "Ringtones," she said apologetically, pulling out her communicator and flipping it open. "Dey're all de rage on de outside. Besides, its rather catchy, don't you think?" She held the communicator to her ear. "Hello?"

"Aja, this is Mrena. I-I called to inform you that we have s-successfully recaptured Hawkgirl."

Aja frowned at the strange lilt to her lieutenant's voice. "Mrena, is everything alright?"

"Yes. Its-its just a cold."

"Very well then. Have her suitably attired for the ceremony. She is the maid of honor, after all."

"Understood. Mrena out." The connection vanished, leaving Aja to smile triumphantly at her subordinate.

"You see," she said. "Nothing to worry about."

Hoping that Aja had bought the coerced conversation, Hawkgirl allowed the connection and then prodded Mrena with the gun barrel. "Now take me to my mace."

John Stewart had always figured he'd suffer at least slightly from cold feet when he was about to get married. Who didn't. after all? However, his apprehension now was anything but ordinary.

He was not going to spend the rest of his life here inside of this haven for criminals married to a beautiful, yet completely certified psychopath. It just wasn't an option. Couldn't happen, and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure it didn't.

His thoughts drifted to Shayera, wondering if she was OK. He hadn't seen her for quite some time, but it didn't sound as though Aja planned to kill her. Not yet anyway. As for why she wanted Hawkgirl to even be present, much less as the maid of honor . . .that was definitely beyond him. Certifiable indeed.

"I don't suppose you're gonna want a ring now," John muttered when Aja moved closer.

"I already have one, or have you so soon forgotten. I imagine it is de most valuable wedding ring a woman could hope to receive, no?"

John said nothing.

"Cheer up," Aja entreated. "Can't you see that this was meant to be? You and I, John Stewart, we have both tasted real power. Our intellects, our minds. . .we are indeed perfect for each other. So superior to de worthless rabble that you feel compelled to protect. Together, we could rule this world."

"Under Lucas's thumb?"

A gleam sparked in Aja's eye as she leaned closer to John and brushed her lips across his forehead, making a trail of light kisses to his mouth. "Lucas is a means to an end," she said, her lips brushing his with each word. "Nothing more. He will soon have outlived his usefulness." She pulled back. Put her hands on his shoulders. "But enough with such morbid thoughts, dey are for another time. For now, de ceremony's about to start."

Hawkgirl thought she had a plan, a good one too, given the amount of time she'd had to work on it. Of course, the fact that she now had her mace in her hand and John's ring in her pocket, made her feel a lot more confident.

Even if she got John his ring, a direct confrontation wouldn't work. The combined might of all of the Adepts would overpower them, if only by sheer numbers. A head-on fight was out of the question.

So what she needed was a diversion. . .

"I guess you guys have never heard of courtship, huh," muttered John as he stood next to Aja, ready to get the stylized tattoo that would complete the marriage ritual.

"What is dis 'courtship'?"

"Never mind."

"If dere is something you need me to say or do dat will make you more comfortable, John Stewart, all you have to do is tell me."

"The only thing you can do to make me more comfortable is to release me from this."

"De alternative is prison, perhaps even execution. Surely being my consort is such a horrible fate."

John didn't answer. Aja had a point. He'd been beaten. He was a prisoner of war and by all rights should be enjoying the accommodations of a dungeon or worse, dead.

Aja smiled. "I dink it is beginning to . . .how you say . . .sink in , just how fortunate you are, John Stewart."

"What about Shayera?" John asked, changing the subject.

"Forget about her. I will keep her alive, if dat is what you are wondering. Her escape attempt, however, takes matters out of my hands. But that is irrelevant. She was your past, but I am your future."

John didn't answer. He paid no attention to the dull, utterances of the priestess who officiated the ceremony. Instead, he prayed for a miracle.

And that was when he heard a voice he had never expected to hear again.

"What is it with men and weapons?" mused Diana as she typed instructions into one of the station's many computer relays. "Like little children collecting toys, except replacing those with weapons of mass destruction."

"Am I supposed to answer that?" asked Batman from the front of the room. He was busy poring over the latest satellite atmospheric data.

"You could try. It is a question that genuinely perplexes me, why anyone should want to have so much destructive power. Take those in the Pentagon for instance, who have enough raw weaponry to destroy the planet a dozen times over. That kind of might borders on the obscene. And this from a so-called humanitarian government."

"'Speak softly and carry a big stick'", Batman quoted. That is the basis for America's weapons policies. Our military might is not intended to be used for simply throwing our weight around in the world. Or even at all. But it is necessary to be able to defend a nation, especially a nation that has so many enemies. There is a limit, however, and I agree with you. The kind of weaponry that President Groenig just described is obscene, and definitely illegal. After Lucas is dealt with, whatever rogue government personnel and organizations responsible for amassing it will have to be dealt with as well."

"I certainly hope so," said Diana.

Batman nodded. "That said, I think I know now Lucas needed three days."

"Do tell."

"His control over the earth's atmosphere isn't stable yet. He can create some chaos, sure, and localized effects, but the process that his operatives are undergoing isn't complete. Not yet. By the deadline though, it will be."

"Which means that if we are going to take action, it needs to be the next few days," Diana finished.

"Precisely."

"Shayera?" John queried as the winged form with the oh-so-familiar voice swooped down.

"Impossible," seethed Aja, her features clouding with rage. "She's supposed to be in the dungeons."

"So hard to get good intelligence these days, huh," yelled Shayera, even as she incapacitated the two nearest Adepts with her energy-charged battle mace, which she had somehow regained.

"Adepts, kill her!" Aja shouted, stepping away from John. Her eyes began to glow and dozens of Adepts took to the skies to subdue Hawkgirl.

"John!" Hawkgirl yelled. "Catch!" She withdrew an item from her belt and threw it in a perfect arc towards John. Even if he hadn't been able to see it, he could have felt the energies burning inside of the small object. It was his power ring.

He summoned it to him with all the willpower he could muster, and the ring complied wholeheartedly, sliding onto his finger and instantly giving him his green aura as well as changing his forced ceremonial garb into his costume. Aja had only seconds to stare before he slammed a green energy hammer into her head so hard it spun her 360°. For all of her power, such a brutal blow was too much for even Aja and she immediately crumpled, like a marionette whose strings had just been cut.

"Shayera," John called as he flew up join her in the air, his beams swathing a path through the Adepts. "Thanks for the ring, but how were you intending to escape?"

Hawkgirl's mace connected solidly with an Adept's face, removing that one from the fight. Simultaneously, her foot lashed out to strike another assailant on the back of the neck, the blow resounding with a loud crack. "I had a diversion planned," Hawkgirl panted once they got close enough to fight back-to-back. "It should have gone off by-"

Her words were interrupted by an earth-shattering boom from the distance. The explosion was almost blinding at first, but then something else interesting happened.

The shimmering haze of Grenat's protective force field disappeared.


End file.
